Tamil Nadu Rains: Rameswaram Receives Record Rains; Is There A Holiday For Schools On Nov 21?

Rameswaram witnessed an unprecedented rainfall of 411 mm in just 10 hours, marking a historic milestone in 125 years. The northeast monsoon has intensified across Tamil Nadu, triggering heavy rains and school closures in multiple districts.

Weather blogger R Pradeep John described the downpour as extraordinary, saying, "Mind-blowing rains in Rameswaram with 411 mm in 10 hours. Historic special rains. In three hours alone, Rameswaram recorded 362 mm, akin to a sheet of water pouring down." He termed the event a "Super Cloud Burst" rather than a regular cloudburst.

For Wednesday, the Regional Meteorological Centre has issued a red alert for Ramanathapuram, Tiruvarur, and Nagapattinam districts, signalling extremely heavy rainfall exceeding 204.5 mm in 24 hours. This led to flooding in some areas, posing severe risks to life and property.

Meanwhile, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari are under an orange alert, and districts such as Mayiladuthurai, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai, Sivaganga, Thoothukudi, Virudhunagar, and Tenkasi are on yellow alert.

Is there a holiday for schools?

Schools in Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, and Tiruvarur districts remain closed, while Kanyakumari and Pechiparai areas also shut schools following relentless rainfall on Wednesday.

The authorities have not declared a holiday for Thursday, November 21. With forecasts of continued rains, more school closures are expected, but there is no such formal announcement from the district administration.

The IMD categorizes alerts by severity: a yellow alert for moderate rainfall, potentially causing localized flooding; an orange alert for heavy rain between 115.6 mm and 204.4 mm, warning of the possible street and stream flooding; and a red alert for extreme rain, signalling urgent risk to lives and infrastructure.

Earlier, Nagapattinam, Thoothukudi, and Karaikal announced holidays for schools on Tuesday, with colleges in Karaikal also closed, while Thoothukudi colleges operated normally.