Chennai Weather Update: TN Capital Wakes Up To Fresh Spells of Rains

Chennai woke up to fresh spells of rain on Thursday morning, offering some respite after an unusually dry start to November. Light to moderate rains were reported in several parts of the city, including Nanmangalam, Adambakkam, Medavakkam, and Kalpakkam.

According to the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai's maximum temperature is expected to hover around 33°C, with the minimum likely to remain close to 26°C. The forecast suggests one or two spells of light to moderate rain accompanied by thunder and lightning in parts of the city and suburbs.

Meanwhile, southern Tamil Nadu continues to experience moderate rainfall under the influence of a broad circulation over the South Bay of Bengal.

Heavy showers are likely at isolated places in Ramanathapuram, and at a few locations in Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli districts. The northern coastal regions, including Chennai, may witness isolated showers, though predominantly dry weather is expected to persist in many areas.

For Thursday, the RMC has issued a heavy rain alert for Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Cuddalore, Kallakurichi, Villupuram, and Chengalpattu districts, along with Puducherry and Karaikal. Light to moderate rainfall is likely to continue at isolated places till November 15, before intensifying later in the week. The agency predicts heavy rain at isolated locations over the delta and coastal districts on November 17 and 18.

This rainfall marks a welcome turnaround after one of the driest starts to November in recent years. Tamil Nadu, which typically receives about 181.7 mm of rainfall in November, has recorded only 15.1 mm till November 10. For comparison, the state received 425 mm in 2021, 233 mm in 2023, and 140 mm in 2024 during the same period.

The rainfall deficit has been especially severe across the delta and north coastal belts. Even Chennai, which usually enjoys regular northeast monsoon showers, has witnessed only brief drizzles since late October. Meteorological officials noted that while southern districts like Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi, and Tirunelveli have seen occasional rain, the stretch between the Delta region and North Tamil Nadu has remained largely parched until now.

Talking about the rains, weather blogger R Pradee John in a post, "Good consensus is coming up among all weather models for the spell after almost 2 weeks on November 17/18 across Tamil Nadu coast. Delta to KTCC will be the area in hotspot.

This is before the possible Chakkaram forms in last week.

Today south Tamil Nadu districts such as Nellai, Kumari, Theni, Thenkasi, Ramanthapuram, Virudhunagar, Dindigul and Western district such as Coimbatore, erode and Nilgiris will get thunderstorms."