Tamil Nadu Rains: Is It A Holiday For Schools In Chennai & Other Districts On Oct 28?

With Cyclone Montha gaining strength over the Bay of Bengal and moving closer to the east coast, heavy rainfall warnings have been issued for several districts in Tamil Nadu, raising concerns among parents and students about possible school closures.

The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) has placed Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, and Ranipet under an orange alert for Monday, signalling the likelihood of intense rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms. Meanwhile, the ghat areas of Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Cuddalore, Villuppuram, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, and Puducherry remain on yellow alert.

The weather office further noted that nine districts are expected to receive heavy rain on Tuesday, with Tiruvallur continuing under orange alert and Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Ranipet, Theni, Tenkasi, Kanyakumari, and the ghat regions of Tirunelveli under yellow alert.

In its latest update, the RMC said, "Yesterday's Deep Depression over the Southeast Bay of Bengal intensified into Cyclonic Storm 'Montha' and moved northwestwards over the Southwest and adjoining Westcentral Bay of Bengal." The system is expected to strengthen into a severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday morning, with wind speeds reaching up to 100 kmph before making landfall between Machilipatnam and Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh by Tuesday evening or night.

Is There A Holiday For Chennai Schools and Cyclone Affected Districts Tomorrow?

The schools in and around Chennai will remain closed on Tuesday, District Collector Rashmi Siddharth Zagade announced. Also, the educational institutions in Tiruvallur district will remain shut today.

However, the offices will function like normal, and the holiday is only for the educational institutions.

While Odisha and Andhra Pradesh had announced holidays for educational institutions in vulnerable coastal districts well in advance, Tamil Nadu took a call late in the night on Monday.

The government has refrained from issuing a blanket holiday order, as many schools had already closed for an extended Diwali break last week. Instead, district collectors take the decision after assessing the ground situation.

As Cyclone Montha continues its approach, residents in coastal and adjoining districts have been advised to remain cautious, avoid unnecessary travel, and follow updates from local authorities.