Tamil Nadu braces for widespread rain as interior districts cool down

Tamil Nadu is poised for a return of fairly widespread rainfall after a lull of a few weeks, with heavy showers forecast in several interior districts until September 21. The wet spell is expected to keep temperatures in check across the State.

Dindigul district recorded the highest rainfall in the State during the 24-hour period ending Tuesday morning, at 13 cm. The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) has warned of heavy rainfall in isolated places, accompanied by gusty winds reaching 40-50 kmph, in six districts including Nilgiris and Ranipet on Wednesday. Other interior districts such as Madurai, Tiruchi and Karur are likely to receive moderate rainfall.

The rain is expected to prevent temperatures from rising further in interior areas that have been experiencing sweltering heat. On Tuesday, Tiruchi recorded the State's highest maximum temperature at 37.7 degree Celsius, while most other places stayed close to normal.

RMC officials attributed the wet weather to a trough extending from south interior Karnataka to the Gulf of Mannar across Tamil Nadu, along with another weather system over the Bay of Bengal near Sri Lanka. These systems are expected to trigger rainfall, particularly in the interior parts of the State.

V.R. Durai, Head of the Regional Weather Forecasting Centre at RMC, said the State may continue to experience intermittent rain spells with moderate temperatures until the end of the month. September is the rainiest month of the monsoon in Tamil Nadu, and another weather system is expected to form next week, which would keep temperatures under check.

On the humid conditions in the coastal belt, including Chennai, Durai noted that the early onset of the sea breeze by noon led to moisture incursion into the land. However, this has often not translated into widespread rainfall, resulting in humid weather.

Chennai is likely to receive light to moderate rainfall in some areas on Wednesday, with more pronounced rainfall expected in the city and its surrounding districts from September 18.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department expects the monsoon to begin retreating from parts of the country from September 19.