Tamil Nadu Weather: 22 Districts On Yellow Alert Today; Light Rains In Chennai

Tamil Nadu is set to witness a spell of widespread rain activity over the coming days, with the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) issuing heavy rain alerts for several districts across the state. While interior and western districts are likely to receive the heaviest showers initially, rain-bearing conditions are expected to gradually extend towards southern and delta regions later in the week.

A heavy rain warning has been issued for 22 districts, including Ranipet, Vellore, Tirupattur, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Salem, Erode, the Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Dindigul, Theni, Namakkal, Karur, Tiruchirappalli, Tiruvannamalai, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Tenkasi, Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari and Thoothukudi on Tuesday. The weather agency has indicated that isolated locations in these districts could experience intense spells of rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms.

The wet weather is expected to continue over subsequent days, with heavy rain alerts remaining in force for districts such as the Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Theni, Tiruppur, Dindigul, Tenkasi, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari. Western Ghats districts are likely to receive particularly significant rainfall due to favourable atmospheric conditions on Wednesday.

Rain activity is also forecast to spread across parts of the Cauvery delta and southern Tamil Nadu. Districts including Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram and Pudukkottai are expected to come under the influence of rain-bearing clouds later in the forecast period on Thursday. The neighbouring Karaikal region is also likely to receive heavy showers on some days.

For Chennai and its surrounding areas, the forecast points to a mix of heat and intermittent rain. On Tuesday, the city is expected to record maximum temperatures between 39°C and 40°C, with minimum temperatures ranging between 28°C and 29°C. The sky is likely to remain partly cloudy, while light rain accompanied by thunderstorms may occur during the evening and night hours.

On Wednesday, temperatures are expected to ease slightly, with daytime highs between 38°C and 39°C and minimum temperatures around 28°C. The city is likely to experience partly cloudy conditions with light to moderate rainfall and thunderstorms at several places.

According to the RMC, there has been no significant change in maximum temperatures across Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal during the past 24 hours. However, temperatures remained around 2°C above normal at isolated locations. Vellore emerged as the hottest place in the state, recording a maximum temperature of 40.5°C.

Among the plains, Dharmapuri recorded the lowest minimum temperature at 23.5°C. In the hill stations, both Kodaikanal and Udhagamandalam reported the coolest conditions, with minimum temperatures dropping to 12.6°C.

The combination of high daytime temperatures and increasing moisture levels is expected to trigger thunderstorms and widespread showers across many parts of Tamil Nadu over the next few days, bringing relief from the prevailing heat while also raising the possibility of localised heavy downpours.