Heavy rains lashed most parts of the city since afternoon on Friday, inundating arterial roads and forcing traffic to move at a snail’s pace.
The worst-affected were people returning from offices in the evening hours. The heavy intermittent showers started around 3 pm and continued till late in the night.
Waterlogging was reported from places including Ekkaduthangal, Nungambakkam, Kilpauk, Thoraipakkam, Choolaimedu, Vadapalani, Velachery, Padi and Vyasarpadi. “I couldn’t cross the road opposite Olympia Tech Park near Kathipara because of knee-deep water. Movement of vehicles made it all the more difficult. Finally, I had to call a taxi to cross the road and reach home,” said a media professional.
According to Met office sources, South Chennai received heavier rains than northern and central areas. The Nungambakkam centre recorded 10.8 mm, the Meenambakkam centre received 33.9 mm of rain till 5:30 pm. “The rains are a result of a weak depression over the Bay of Bengal, along with associated upper air circulations,” said Y E A Raj, Deputy Director of the Regional Meteorological Centre. “This has caused good activity over Telengana and other parts of Andhra. We can definitely expect this wet weather to continue over the next two days in northern parts,” he added. Raj also said western districts have been receiving rain from the Southwest Monsoon while the south remained dry. The Met office has predicted continuation of this weather over the weekend, except for southern districts.
This has been a wet July for Chennai. The city has already received over 110 mm of rain this month, compared to 70 mm in 2011 and 78 mm in 2012. With rains expected to continue, this may rise further, extending the relief that the city has been getting from a sweltering summer.