29 per cent deficit rainfall: Tamil Nadu keeps fingers crossed

Chennai: While the rain gods have not been kind to most of the Tamil Nadu, including Che­n­­nai this monsoon, the close to 40 per cent rainfall deficit recorded bet­ween ­Octob­er 1 and mid- November, has improved to 29 per cent owing to the heavy rain received sin­ce Sunday, according to the weathermen.

“Isolated showers are being reported across the state and more rain can be expected if the low pressure  over the east bay develops further,” said Y. E. A. Raj, deputy director general, Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) Chennai.

So far only Dharmapuri and Coimbatore districts have received normal rain this monsoon with even the Nilgiris falling short.  In fact, the rain in Chennai, Kanc­heepu­ram, Villupuram, Tiruv­a­rur and Puducherry is nearly 50 per cent lesser than normal.

“The monsoon arrived late this season by about nine days and the wetlands in and around Chennai have not received their usual rain. The water level in bird sanctuaries like Vedant­hangal, Kunth­ankulam and Karikilli is not encouraging either,” sa­id­ K. V. R. K. Thiru­naranan, foun­der,­ Natu­re Trust.

Noting that  coastal districts have fared better than the interiors ,  astro meteorologist S. Ramachandran claims this trend will continue. North Tamil Nadu and South Andhra will get more rain  this monsoon, which will extend till February and there will be more showers betwe­en Novem­ber­25­and 27 on account of a low pressure system, he ma­intains.

Meanwhile, the immediate forecast for Chennai is generally cloudy sky with rain or thundershowers in some areas. The expected maximum temperature in the city is around 31 degrees Celsius and the minimum, 25 degrees Celsius.