Warnings of heavy rainfall issued for Chennai and its neighbourhood by Met office

CHENNAI: The regional meteorological centre here has issued warnings of heavy rainfall for Chennai and neighbouring districts.

On Thursday, the city received moderate rainfall with Nungambakkam recording 29 mm and Meenambakkam 24 mm. Heavy rainfall is expected on Friday.

The weather bulletin says, "Thunderstorm with heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places over Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai districts of Tamil Nadu and Karaikal area."

The rainfall was due to a trough from Southwest Bay of Bengal off the Sri Lanka coast to Westcentral Bay of Bengal off north Andhra Pradesh now running from above cyclonic circulation to southwest Bay of Bengal off the north Tamil Nadu coast. The maximum and minimum temperatures in the city would be 28 degrees Celsius and 24 degrees Celsius respectively.

Meanwhile, the Central Water Commission has issued an alert which says vigil has to be kept in reservoirs during high intensity rainfall as the catchments are nearly saturated and will generate good inflow which will fill up the small lakes in 2-3 intense rainfall events and further fill Poondi and Chembarambakkam reservoirs leading to spill and flood type situation in rivers downstream.

"Intense rainfall warnings have to be seriously monitored and necessary alerts need to be given to downstream areas and authorities for possible release as part of preparedness activity as the dams fill up to 85 to 90 per cent," the advisory reads.