CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu may receive its first widespread monsoon rain this season, as IMD has forecast heavy rainfall in several districts, including Chennai, for the next two days. The agency issued an orange alert (meaning 'be prepared') for Chengalpet and Kancheepuram as the districts may receive heavy to very heavy rain on Tuesday due to the presence of two cyclonic circulations gathering pace over the sea.
One of the systems may intensify into low pressure and later into depression, but private forecasters said it may not intensify further. Bloggers said there are also chances of 'very heavy rainfall' over parts of the city on Tuesday.
"Heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places in Chennai on November 14 and 15. For the next 48 hours, skies may be partly cloudy, and temperatures may be at a maximum of around 30C to 31C and a minimum of around 24C to 25C," an IMD bulletin said.
On Tuesday, there may be heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in four districts, including Chengalpet and Kancheepuram, and heavy rain at isolated places in 15 districts, including Chennai and Tiruvallur. On November 15, there may be heavy rain at isolated places in eight districts, including Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, and Chengalpet.
The agency said an upper air cyclonic circulation is over the southwest Bay of Bengal and is extending up to mid-tropospheric levels. There is another upper air circulation that lies over the south Andaman Sea, which may influence the formation of a low-pressure area over the southeast Bay of Bengal in the next 24 hours. It may move west-northwestwards and strengthen into a depression over west Central Bay of Bengal around November 16.
Meteorologists said while the circulation over the southwest Bay of Bengal may move northward along the Tamil Nadu coast, the other system may move towards Odisha and West Bengal.
Skymet Weather, in its blog post, said there are chances for a cyclonic storm to form. "The cyclonic circulation over the southwest Bay of Bengal will move along the Tamil Nadu coast and may intensify into a well-marked low pressure," the forecaster said.
Blogger Pradeep John said the city may receive intermittent heavy spells on Tuesday, and the rain activity may continue until Wednesday afternoon. "There are chances of very heavy rainfall," he said.
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