Coastal parts of Tamil Nadu may have to prepare for another intense spell of rainfall as a fresh weather system is likely to form in the next 12 hours, and concentrate into a depression. It is likely to reach north Tamil Nadu by early in the morning on November 11.
While rains will cover most places of the State, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places on coastal TN. One or two places may even receive extremely heavy rains of above 20.4 cm. on Wednesday and Thursday.
According to a bulletin, Monday’s cyclonic circulation over southeast Bay of Bengal and the adjoining south Andaman Sea persists. Under its influence, a low pressure area is very likely to form over Southeast Bay of Bengal during the next 12 hours. It is likely to move west– northwestwards, intensify into a depression and reach the north TN coast by Thursday.
On Tuesday, Puducherry recorded heavy rainfall of 8 cm and Cheyyur in Chengalpet district, 7 cm. Many weather stations in and around Chennai like MRC Nagar, Meenambakkam and Taramani (4 cm), Villivakkam (3 cm) and Ennore port (2 cm) too received moderate to heavy rains till 5.30 a.m.
The Meteorological Department has predicted widespread rainfall on Tuesday too. As per a nowcast warning issued at 10 a.m., thunderstorms with moderate rains may occur Chennai, Chengalpattu, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Nagapattinam, Myladuthurai, Thiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukottai, Sivaganga, Theni, Dindugul , Madurai, Tenkasi, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and VirudHunagar districts and Karaikal area within THE next three hours.
Water release increased
Meanwhile, water release from Poondi reservoir, one of Chennai’s major drinking water sources, has been increased to 5,000 cusecs (cubic feet per second) at 10 a.m. as more inflow is expected to reach the water body by Tuesday evening.
At present, the water body has storage of 2,706 million cubic feet (mcft) against its capacity of 3,231 mcft. Spread over 34.58 sq.km, the reservoir is getting 3,226 cusecs as inflow from catchment areas upstream. The Water Resources Department is letting out 4,040 cusecs as of now. This is being increased further, as 1,000 cusecs of surplus water released from Ammapalli dam in Andhra Pradesh is set to reach the reservoir by Tuesday evening and intense rains have been forecast on Wednesday and Thursday.