CHENNAI: For the first time this summer, mercury levels breached 40 degrees Celsius mark in Chennai on Tuesday, after super cyclone Amphan drained the region of its moisture. Met officials predict heat wave-like conditions to prevail in north TN, including Chennai, for a week with daytime temperature hovering 3-4 degrees above normal.
Even though the sudden change in weather is attributed to the cyclone, the dry land breeze from Rayalaseema and Telangana which are brought here by westerlies may also add to the heatwave. While Chennai’s mean day temperature for the month is 37.1 degrees Celsius, at 2.30 pm on Tuesday, the weather station in Nungambakkam recorded 40.2 degrees. N Puviarasan, director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre of Regional Meteorological Centre, told Express,
“In Rayalaseema and Telangana, there would be a heatwave in a day or two and the dry breeze will blow into north TN.”