Due to overnight rainfall in several districts of Tamil Nadu, waterlogging and traffic jams were reported in the early hours of Friday, December 13. Visuals shared by the news agency ANI from Tirunelveli, Madurai, and Thoothukudi show waterlogging on streets due to continued downpours in these districts.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heavy rain alert, with thunderstorms and lightning at isolated spots across Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal. Extremely heavy downpours are likely in the Tenkasi, Tirunelveli, and Thoothukudi districts.
Heavy Rain in Madurai
IMD said that several other districts, including Tiruvallur, Chennai, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, and Puducherry, are likely to witness heavy rain at isolated places. The weather department has issued a warning to fishermen, advising them to avoid venturing into certain coastal areas, including Sri Lanka’s coast, the Gulf of Mannar, the Bay of Bengal, and the Kerala coast, between December 12 and 16, due to adverse weather conditions.
IMD predicted light to moderate rainfall on Saturday, December 14, in parts of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal. Heavy rain is likely in districts like Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Theni, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Tenkasi, Tirunelveli, and Thoothukudi.
Also Read | Puducherry Rains: All Schools and Colleges in Karaikal to Remain Closed Today Due to Heavy Rainfall.
The reason for heavy rainfall in the south belt of Tamil Nadu is due to the low-pressure area over the southwest Bay of Bengal near the Gulf of Mannar. While this system is expected to weaken, the northeast monsoon remains vigorous across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
As a precautionary measure, schools in 11 districts, including Chennai, Villupuram, Thanjavur, Mayiladuthurai, Pudukkottai, Cuddalore, Dindigul, Ramanathapuram, Thiruvarur, Ranipet, and Tiruvallur, have been closed.