CHENNAI: The deep depression, the remnant of cyclonic storm Ditwah, weakened into a depression at around 5.30 am on Tuesday. By then, it had already brought very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall to parts of Chennai and Tiruvallur, with areas in North Chennai recording as much as 20–26 cm of rain following near-continuous showers on Monday night.
A red alert warning of extremely heavy rainfall was issued for Chennai and Tiruvallur for Tuesday. Weather bloggers noted that the city would continue to receive moderate to heavy spells of rain over the next 24 hours.
With the city recording an average of 13.45 cm of rainfall within 24 hours between 5.30 am on Monday and Tuesday morning, several neighbourhoods experienced inundation even as the Greater Chennai Corporation deployed high-capacity pumps to clear water from the streets. Residents reported sustained waterlogging, with roads flooding again soon after water had been drained by authorities.
According to the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), the depression is likely to move slowly southwestwards towards the North Tamil Nadu–Puducherry coasts and maintain its intensity for the next 12 hours before weakening into a well-marked low-pressure area.
Data from the GCC’s Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) showed that several parts of the city received extremely heavy rainfall during this period, with at least five locations crossing the 20 cm mark. Parrys recorded the highest rainfall at 26.52 cm, followed by Ennore at 26.43 cm. Other areas that saw very heavy rainfall included Ice House (23.13 cm), Basin Bridge (20.76 cm), and New Manali Town (20.66 cm).
Water stagnation persisted in Pulianthope, RK Mutt Road, Pattalam, Vyasarpadi, and Manali. In Mullai Nagar, Vyasarpadi, residents said that despite severe water stagnation every year due to the locality’s proximity to the Captain Cotton Canal, construction of a new stormwater drain had only just begun.
Fearing inundation, residents of Velachery, Royapuram, and Kodambakkam began parking their vehicles on flyovers as a precautionary measure.