Tamil Nadu Weather: Chennai Braces For Wet Spell; 19 Districts On Yellow Alert For Heavy Rains

Tamil Nadu is set for an extended spell of rain beginning Thursday, with the Regional Meteorological Centre issuing yellow alerts for several districts across the state. While the heaviest rainfall activity is expected over the western, southern and delta districts, Chennai is also likely to witness light to moderate showers accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning over the next two days.

According to the latest local forecast for Chennai city and its neighbourhood, the capital is expected to remain under partly cloudy skies on May 8 and May 9, with intermittent rain activity likely during the afternoons and evenings. Day temperatures are expected to stay relatively mild for May standards, hovering between 34°C and 35°C on Thursday and slightly easing to 33°C-34°C on Friday. Minimum temperatures are likely to remain around 26°C-27°C.

The weather office has forecast light to moderate rain along with thunderstorms and lightning for Chennai over the next 48 hours. The showers are expected to provide some relief from the recent heat, especially after temperatures in parts of Tamil Nadu had remained above seasonal averages earlier this month.

Meteorologists noted that maximum temperatures have already dipped by 2°C to 3°C in isolated pockets across Tamil Nadu during the past 24 hours. Several regions are now recording near-normal or below-normal daytime temperatures due to increased cloud cover and moisture incursion.

Although Chennai is not among the districts under heavy rain warning at present, residents have been advised to remain cautious during thunderstorm activity, particularly during peak traffic hours, as sudden showers could lead to waterlogging in low-lying areas and slow-moving traffic on major roads.

19 Districts Under Yellow Alert Today

The yellow alert for heavy rainfall on May 8 covers 19 districts, primarily across western and southern Tamil Nadu as well as the Cauvery delta region. The districts likely to receive heavy rain at isolated places include:

• Nilgiris
• Coimbatore
• Erode
• Tiruppur
• Dindigul
• Madurai
• Theni
• Tenkasi
• Virudhunagar
• Tirunelveli
• Kanyakumari
• Sivaganga
• Ramanathapuram
• Thoothukudi
• Thanjavur
• Tiruvarur
• Nagapattinam
• Mayiladuthurai
• Pudukottai

The alert area will expand further on May 9 and 10, with 22 districts expected to receive heavy rainfall at isolated places. Additional districts such as Karur, Namakkal and Tiruchirappalli have also been included in the warning list for the weekend.

Rain Activity Likely Till Mid-May

The wet spell is expected to continue across Tamil Nadu until at least May 14, though the focus of heavy rainfall may gradually shift towards coastal and southern districts later in the week.

On May 11, around 15 districts are likely to remain under heavy rain warning, including the delta region and southern districts such as Madurai, Theni and Tirunelveli. Between May 12 and May 13, heavy rainfall activity is expected over 11 districts, including Cuddalore and parts of coastal Tamil Nadu.

By May 14, the weather system is forecast to intensify over parts of north coastal Tamil Nadu as well, bringing districts such as Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Villupuram and Tiruvannamalai under heavy rain alert.

Meanwhile, weather data from May 7 showed Vellore recording the highest maximum temperature in the state at 38.9°C, while Madurai city registered the lowest minimum temperature in the plains at 19.4°C. In the hills, Kodaikanal remained the coldest with a minimum temperature of 11.4°C.