The India Meteorological Department on Friday issued a rain alert for Tamil Nadu as a low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into cyclonic storm Cyclone Montha by Monday morning, October 27. The northeast monsoon is currently active in the region due to which the state is expected to receive heavy rainfalls for the next two to three days.
The weather department said that the low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal moved slowly towards west-northwest and remained stationary over the same region. IMD in its weather bulletin mention that the cyclone is likely to move west-northwestwards and further intensify into a depression over the southeast and adjoining central Bay of Bengal by October 25, it will further form into a deep depression by October 26 and turn into to cyclonic storm, which Thailand named Cyclone Montha on October 27.
Tamil Nadu had already received heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours, with Pallipattu in Tiruvallur district receiving the highest at 15 cm, followed by Nalumukku in Tirunelveli at 12 cm. The IMD further added that light to moderate rain with thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places is expected over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal until October 2,8 and heavy rainfall is likely at isolated locations in Cuddalore, Puducherry, Villupuram, and Chengalpattu districts.