MADURAI
There was widespread rain in several districts of southern Tamil Nadu on Tuesday and Wednesday. The weather was pleasant in all parts of the south.
Residents of Madurai could see pools of water in the Vaigai bed below Albert Victor Bridge and Sellur flyover, even as the city experienced sunshine and showers alternately on Wednesday.
S. Siddharth, a two-wheeler rider on his way to Iyer Bunglow, said he was wondering whether to use his jacket or not as short spells of rainfall occurred repeatedly for four-five hours.
Melur in Madurai district and Kodaikanal in Dindigul district received rainfall of around 9 mm each in the last 24 hours ending Wednesday morning. Kodaikanal lake recently overflowed due to the heavy rains.
The first flood warning was issued for people living downstream of Sothuparai dam in Dindigul district. Periyakulam in Theni district experienced mild showers. Uthamapalayam witnessed copious showers over the week.
After a brief lull, rain revisited various parts of Virudhunagar district on Wednesday. Heavy rainfall was recorded in Sattur since early morning. Rain continued till the evening.
Intermittent showers were witnessed in Aruppukottai, Virudhunagar and Kariyapatti. From overcast sky to bright sunshine, the weather condition kept on fluctuating in the district.
The maximum rainfall of 51.70 mm was recorded in Thoothukudi. The two-hour rain brought cheers to the residents as the atmosphere turned cold. Salt producers were also delighted over the rainfall, which tends to be a good sign for them.
A.R.A.S. Dhanabalan, secretary, Thoothukudi Small-Scale Salt Manufacturers Association, said the rainfall had triggered possibilities of moving the accumulated stock of manufactured salt in the market. This second spell of considerable amount of rainfall gave rise to the market value of the commodity to some extent, he added.
Tirunelveli and Ramanathapuram witnessed drizzle in the morning. Paramakudi and Thiruvadanai in Ramanathapuram district received significant rainfall, much to the delight of farmers and public.
Weather forecast for the next 24 hours indicated widespread rain and cloudy sky in many parts of south Tamil Nadu.