Chennai: Heavy rain continued to lash parts of Tamil Nadu on Friday, October 23, as the northeast monsoon intensified, causing waterlogging in Chennai and several southern districts, flooding homes and farmland, and pushing up water levels in major reservoirs, Maktoob Media reported. Kanyakumari, Tenkasi and Madurai were among the worst-hit districts, where floodwaters entered houses and swamped farmland.
Source: Maktoob Media
Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay reviewed monsoon preparedness and ongoing relief operations at the State Emergency Operation Centre on Thursday, Maktoob Media reported. Separately, The Hindu reported that heavy rain from the active northeast monsoon forced several districts to declare a holiday on Friday — Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Vellore, Puducherry and Karaikal declared holidays for schools due to rain on October 23.
Source: Maktoob Media; The Hindu via ScoopFeeds
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall across several districts over the next 24 hours, and Chennai could see heavy downpours on October 24 and 25. With weather systems developing over the Bay of Bengal, the state is expected to receive moderate to heavy rainfall until October 26. The Hindu reported that the Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, has issued an Orange Alert on its website for heavy rain, and that heavy rain is anticipated in Tiruvallur, Villupuram, Tiruchirappalli, Erode, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Cuddalore, Namakkal, Tiruppur and Karur districts.
Source: Maktoob Media; The Hindu via ScoopFeeds
What is solid
- Heavy northeast monsoon rain on Friday flooded homes and farmland in Tamil Nadu's southern districts, with Kanyakumari, Tenkasi and Madurai among the worst hit, and caused waterlogging in Chennai (Maktoob Media).
- Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay reviewed monsoon preparedness and relief operations at the State Emergency Operation Centre on Thursday (Maktoob Media).
- The IMD forecasts heavy to very heavy rain in several districts over the next 24 hours, heavy downpours in Chennai on October 24–25 and moderate to heavy rain until October 26; the Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, has an Orange Alert in place (IMD via Maktoob Media and The Hindu).
- For October 23, orange alerts covered isolated areas of Kanyakumari, Coimbatore, the Nilgiris and the Ghat regions of Tirunelveli, with thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds of 40–50 kmph possible, linked to a low-pressure area over the Comorin region (IMD via Khelja).
What is only claimed
- No casualty or damage-loss figures had been reported in the sources checked at the time of publishing, and Awaaz Punjab is not estimating any.
- Rainfall amounts and the districts worst affected may change as the weather system develops; the IMD forecasts above are predictions, not recorded outcomes.
Residents in low-lying and flood-prone areas have been advised in IMD-linked reporting to follow official weather updates and take precautions against flooding, strong winds and waterlogging as the monsoon spell continues through the weekend.