The Cyclone Madi returned towards the state after it weakened into a well marked low pressure area on Thursday. The crossing of the system into the state will bring rainfall in several districts in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, according to the MET Department.
The system which lay at a distance of 90 km east of Nagapattinam on Thursday evening is expected to bring some isolated heavy rains along TN and Pondy coasts. But MET department officials pointed out that the rain brought in by the depression is not likely to help the state recover its rainfall deficit.
“We are expecting some rains in the Kaveri delta along Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Thiruvarur etc. Coastal districts will also get some rains. But these rains are not expected to be able to close the gap in the rainfall departure in the state,” said YEA Raj, Deputy Director Gneral of Meteorology, at the Regional Meteorological Centre,Chennai. Chennai, Coimbatore, Dharmapuri, Kanchipuram, Nagapattinam, Niligiris, Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram, Thirunelveli, Thiruvallur and Villupuram are some of the other districts which are forecast to have rains.
He added that the 30 percent deficit can, meanwhile, be recovered if Tamil Nadu gets significant rains in the weeks ahead. As of now the state has received an actual rainfall of 273.9mm against normal rainfall of 404.7 mm. This has meant rainfall deficit of 32 percent. The MET department has forecast squally wind with a speed of 45-55 kmph which could peak to 65 kmph along and off Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts till Friday evening. Fishermen along and off Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts are advised not to venture into sea on Friday.
Meanwhile in Chennai City and its neighbhourhood the sky condition would be generally cloudy. Rain or thundershowers may occur in some areas and surface winds will be strong and gusty at times. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around 29 and 23 degree Celsius respectively.
Over the past one week, rainfall in TN has been recorded as ‘Scanty’. While the normal rainfall in the week had to be 31.5mm, the actual rainfall received was only 3.8 in the week ending on Wednesday pegging the deficit at 88 per cent