The Ripon building in Chennai seen inundated during the recent heavy rains (Photo | Ashwin Prasath, EPS)
CHENNAI: The regional meteorological centre on Thursday said the cyclonic circulation over southwest Bay of Bengal was unlikely to concentrate into a low pressure area, but widespread rains would continue to lash Tamil Nadu till November 29.
Thoothukudi received a whopping 254 mm of rainfall in just nine hours from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm on Thursday forcing Met officials to issue a red alert. Meanwhile, weather models are predicting heavy rains for Chennai as well during this weekend and up until December 1.
The evening bulletin of the Indian Meteorological Department said the cyclonic circulation lies over southwest Bay of Bengal off the south Sri Lanka coast at lower tropospheric levels and strong northeasterly winds are prevailing over the Tamil Nadu coast and south coastal Andhra Pradesh at lower levels. Under its influence, isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely over Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Karaikal till November 29.
The 2015 extreme rainfall event was also not caused due to any major weather system. It was just a trough of low pressure. Weather bloggers say it's better to maintain caution till December 1.
Meanwhile, the Met department has withdrawn the orange alert (heavy to very heavy rainfall) for the city and issued a yellow alert (heavy rainfall) for the next two days.
