As Cyclone Amphan moved further away from Tamil Nadu region, several areas in and around Chennai sizzled, with the temperature soaring past the 40-degree mark.
The weather stations in Chennai and Meenambakkam recorded a maximum temperature of 41.3 degree Celsius and 41.4 degree Celsius on Tuesday. Last year, the day temperature touched the month’s highest of 41.5 degree Celsius on May 3 in the city.
Several other areas around the city, such as Ennore (41.4 degree Celsius), Madhavaram (41 degree Celsius), Kancheepuram (41.3 degree Celsius) and Poonamallee (40.4 degree Celsius) also experienced scorching heat on Tuesday. Some of the interior places, including Vellore (41.3 degree Celsius), too recorded an increase in day temperature.
Officials said the extremely severely cyclonic storm, Amphan, is likely to move north-northeastwards across northwest Bay of Bengal and cross the West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts by May 20 evening.
S.Balachandran, Deputy Director General of Meteorology, Chennai, said as the weather system moved and took away the moisture, it changed the wind direction from cool easterlies to dry westerlies. The maximum temperature would gradually begin to increase over the State. This is expected to trigger thunderstorm activity in interior places. One or places along the Western Ghats, including Theni and Nilgiris, may have light to moderate rains on Wednesday.
The maximum temperature crossed the 40-degree mark on Tuesday as dry westerly winds started blowing over the coastal places like Chennai, he added.
The Meteorological Department has warned fishermen not to venture into sea as gale wind gusting up to 195 km per hour may prevail on Wednesday. Forecast for Wednesday is a generally cloudy sky over Chennai and the maximum temperature of around 41 degree Celsius.