Tamil Nadu Weather Update: Several Districts Over 40°C; North Interior Braces For Heatwave

Nine districts in Tamil Nadu saw temperatures soar above 40°C in the last 24 hours, with Erode recording the highest temperature at 42.2°C, the Regional Meteorological Centre said in the daily bulletin.

Over the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 pm, there was minimal fluctuation in maximum temperatures across Tamil Nadu, generally remaining above normal and even notably elevated by 2-4°C in certain pockets within the interior plains. The temperature levels were generally consistent with norms across the rest of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal regions.

Erode recorded the highest maximum temperature at 42.2°C, marking a rise of +3.8°C. Additionally, eight other stations reported temperatures exceeding 40°C: Tirupattur at 41.8°C (+4.0°C), Salem at 41.7°C (+4.0°C), Karur Paramathi at 41.5°C (+4.4°C), Dharmapuri at 40.7°C (+3.6°C), Namakkal at 40.5°C, Trichy at 40.2°C (+2.0°C), Tiruttani at 40.0°C (+1.1°C), and Vellore at 40.0°C (+1.2°C).

In the plains of the interior regions of Tamil Nadu, temperatures ranged between 38°C to 40°C. Coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal saw temperatures between 34°C to 38°C, while hilly areas experienced milder temperatures ranging from 22°C to 30°C. Chennai recorded normal maximum temperatures, with MBK at 36.8°C (+0.1°C) and NBK at 35.2°C (-0.4°C).

In the last few weeks, a few districts in north Tamil Nadu used to get rain, but the RMD has predicted across the state for the next few days. It has also issued a heatwave warning.

"Heat wave conditions are likely to prevail at isolated pockets over North Interior Tamil Nadu. Due to humid air & high temperatures, hot & discomfort weather is very likely to prevail at isolated pockets over rest of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal area," the statement read.

North interior districts are: Tirupattur, Vellore, Ranipet, Kallakurichi, Tiruvannamalai, Kancheepuram, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Salem, Namakkal, Karur, Erode, Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Tiruchirapalli, Ariyalur and Perambalur.

According to the Regional Meteorological Department (RMD), the weather forecast for Chennai suggests partly cloudy skies. The maximum temperature is expected to range between 36-37°C, while the minimum temperature is forecasted to be around 27-28°C.