Swarms of clouds originating from the South-West Bay of Bengal have invaded South Coastal Tamil Nadu from Vedaranyam and Puducherry, with a limb extending to Kalpakkam-Chennai to the north.

Satellite pictures this morning show clouds drifting in, but spreading thin over the Cauvery delta districts of Ariyalur, Tiruchirappalli, Thanjavur, Pudukottai, Permbalur and Karaikal.

'LOW' MOVES IN CLOSER

The India Met Department (IMD) has forecast heavy rain at isolated places over coastal Tamil Nadu for today. Thunderstorms and lightning are likely at isolated places over Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

In fact, the Met has forecast heavy rain for coastal Tamil Nadu and progressively covering adjoining South Coastal Andhra Pradesh over the next three to four days.

The causative low-pressure area has moved in closer to the Sri Lankan and adjoining South Coastal Tamil Nadu coast this morning and parked itself over South-West and adjoining South-East Bay of Bengal.

A persisting cyclonic circulation over the Gulf of Mannar has merged into it, and the combined entity is buffeted by winds with enhanced speeds, blowing in clouds to South Tamil Nadu.

A follow-up 'low' forecast to form over the South Bay of Bengal by midweek next week too will connect into the system over the South-West Bay and move as one towards the Tamil Nadu coast.

THUNDERSHOWERS FOR NORTH

This is expected to scale up rains along the coast and the interior, especially those adjoining the North Tamil Nadu coast, since the single 'low' moves towards Chennai and the South Andhra Pradesh coast.

Interior Tamil Nadu and parts of Kerala too will benefit from the ensuing rains, according to updated forecasts by the US Climate Prediction Centre as well as by the IMD.

Meanwhile, to the north of the country, an incoming western disturbance is expected to trigger thundershowers over the plains, promising some respite for the smog-hit national capital region.

Rain/ thundershowers are a natural solution to smog, a winter-time health hazard in the region, since they can wash down the pollutants for as long as they last.

It is expected that the thundershowers would last for a couple of days. Western disturbances can generate rain in proportion to the moisture that they mop on the way from the far-North-West.

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