Schools in Chennai and Surrounding Areas Closed Today Due to Intense Rainfall
Click to start listening
Chennai, Dec 12 (NationPress) The Tamil Nadu government has declared a holiday for schools in Chennai and its surrounding districts on Thursday due to heavy rains that initiated on Wednesday night.
District Collectors from Villupuram, Thanjavur, Mayiladuthurai, Ramanathapuram, Dindigul, Cuddalore, and Pudukkottai have also proclaimed holidays for schools in those areas.
Additionally, the Union Territory of Puducherry has announced a holiday for both schools and colleges on Thursday.
A well-defined low-pressure system is currently located over the southwest Bay of Bengal off the coast of Sri Lanka.
This system, which is accompanied by upper-air cyclonic circulation extending to mid-tropospheric levels, is anticipated to progress west-northwest toward the Sri Lanka-Tamil Nadu coasts within the next 24 hours.
This is likely to result in heavy to very heavy rainfall in the region.
Several districts, including Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Cuddalore, Perambalur, Tiruchy, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Coimbatore, Tirupur, Karur, Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Tenkasi, and Thoothukudi, have been placed under a yellow alert due to the forecasted rain.
The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) has issued orange and yellow alerts for various districts in Tamil Nadu on Thursday, citing the low-pressure system.
The RMC has clarified that there is a minimal chance of the system intensifying into a storm.
On Wednesday, Chennai and adjacent districts faced moderate to heavy rainfall, which is predicted to persist over the next 24 hours.
During the northeast monsoon season (from October 1 to December 10), Tamil Nadu has recorded a 14 per cent excess in rainfall, measuring 447 mm compared to the average of 393 mm.
Chennai has received 845 mm, which is 16 per cent above average, while Coimbatore observed a remarkable 47 per cent increase in rainfall.
Fishermen are advised to refrain from venturing into the sea, and those already at sea should return to shore immediately.
This alert comes on the heels of the devastation caused by Cyclone Fengal, which affected Tamil Nadu and Puducherry between November 29 and December 1.
