Overcast sky, but no rain

Chennai: For almost the entire day, till sunset, on Saturday, the sky over Chennai looked as if it might part any moment and bring in the much-missed rain. The maximum temperature recorded in the city was a pleasant 27 degrees some time around midday, but as it eventually turned out, there was not a single drop of rainfall. Going by the weather department’s forecast for the next 24 hours, the city might just have to wait further to experience a decent spell of rain. So far, Chennai has only recorded 614.4 mm of rainfall, much less than the normal 778 mm it should have got from the northeast monsoon.

However, the scenario down south could not be more different. The coastal and interior regions of Tamil Nadu, including Cuddalore and Nagapattinam, will receive rainfall on Sunday, predicted the meteorological department. This is due to a low-pressure area persisting near the Sri Lankan coast. “There is a well-marked low pressure area near the southwest Bay of Bengal. In the next 48 hours, the system might develop into a depression,” a weather department official said.

As a result, there will be rainfall or thundershowers over coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in the next 24 hours. Certain areas in the interior regions are also likely to receive rainfall, the official added. Chennai, though, can expect to be largely left out as only light rain has been predicted in certain localities of the capital city.

The weather official said during the initial period of the northeast monsoon season (October to December), the interior regions of the state typically receive more rainfall, but as the season advances, rainfall is mainly in the coastal districts with the interior districts getting less rain.

Notably, this season, several low pressure systems during the current northeast monsoon system have been formed near the Gulf of Mannar area. As on Saturday, Thoothukudi, Ramanathapuram and Tirunelveli districts, very close to the gulf, have received comparatively higher rainfall than their counterparts in other areas. Thoothukudi received close to 572 mm of rainfall, well exceeding its normal amount of 418 mm.