Schools were shut on Thursday, October 22, in four southern Tamil Nadu districts — Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Kanniyakumari and Tenkasi — owing to heavy rain predicted there, Jagran reported, citing the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast after a low-pressure area formed over the southwest Bay of Bengal.

Source: Jagran English

Hindustan Times, in a report published early on October 22, carried the same closure list — Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Kanniyakumari and Tenkasi — and said heavy rain was likely in Tamil Nadu for two more days, with Chennai on a yellow alert.

Source: Hindustan Times via MyPressToday

No order to close schools in Chennai had been announced, Jagran said. The capital witnessed intense rainfall overnight, following heavy to very heavy showers that began on Tuesday; MGR Nagar registered the maximum at 15 cm, and many other localities received 10 to 15 cm of rain.

The IMD warned that heavy to very heavy rainfall could occur at isolated places on Thursday, along with thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds of 40-50 kmph at a few locations. The districts named in that warning included Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, Tenkasi, Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram, Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Coimbatore, the Nilgiris, Sivaganga, Pudukkottai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai, as well as Karaikal in Puducherry, Jagran reported.

Mirror Now, citing the Regional Meteorological Centre in Chennai, said the low-pressure area over the southwest Bay of Bengal off the Tamil Nadu coast was driving the weather, with an orange alert for 17 southern and delta districts on Thursday. It said Chennai itself was expected to see moderate rainfall for the immediate three-day window, with a possible return of heavy rainfall around October 25.

Source: Mirror Now

At a glance

Closed Oct 22: schools in Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Kanniyakumari and Tenkasi. Chennai: yellow alert, no closure order announced. Rain recorded: MGR Nagar, Chennai — 15 cm; many Chennai localities 10-15 cm. IMD warning: heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places, thunderstorms, lightning, gusts 40-50 kmph.

What is solid

  • Schools were shut on October 22 in Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Kanniyakumari and Tenkasi — reported by both Jagran and Hindustan Times.
  • Chennai was on a yellow alert and no Chennai school-closure order had been announced in those reports; MGR Nagar recorded 15 cm — Jagran.

What is only claimed

  • One other roundup listed a fifth district, Tirupattur, among closures; the two primary reports used here name only the four southern districts, so this story lists four and does not include Tirupattur as confirmed.