Mist and haze enveloped Vellore and nearby districts for the past few days.
Senior meteorologists at Vellore Observatory of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that as wind directions changed, cool nights and early morning mist were seen in Vellore and nearby districts since October 4 when the first change in the weather in the region was recorded by the IMD.
“It is not an abnormal phenomenon. Inland areas, away from the coast, will continue to experience such weather in the coming days,” N.A. Nehru Raj, meteorologist ‘A’, Vellore Observatory (IMD), told The Hindu.
Vellore town and neighbouring areas such as Gudiyatham, Ranipet, Arcot, Vaniyambadi, Tirupattur, Arani, Arakkonam, Tiruvannamalai, and Vandavasi have been experiencing mist and haze in the early hours of the day.
Low visibility had affected traffic in the small hours of the day on arterial stretches such as the Chennai-Bengaluru Highway (NH 44) and Cuddalore-Chittoor Highway. Street lights on the highways were kept on for an hour beyond the usual time of 6 a.m for the past few days to prevent accidents. “I have to drive with the headlights of the vehicle on even at 7.30 a.m due to mist on the highway. I have to drive slowly to avoid accident,” said K. Sugumar, a motorist.
Another feature of the change in weather is that night will be longer. It has been recorded that sunset in Vellore and neighbouring areas in the region has been around 6 p.m since last week, indicating the change in the weather pattern. Prior to it, the sunset in the region was around 6.45 p.m. The increase in the total night hours with chilly weather will be gradual in the coming days.
However, meteorologists said sudden downpour and onset of northeast monsoon will interrupt the chilly weather pattern in the region. Instead, such a downpour will make the sky clearer and brighter in the morning. As the northeast monsoon, which occurs mainly in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, got delayed, residents in the region can enjoy the chilly weather till then, the officials said.
