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Vanakkam! Chennai and many parts of Tamil Nadu have been savouring a cooler and showery weather for the past couple of days under a welcome combination of helpful factors - an intense western disturbance moving across North-West India digging deeper into the South and encountering moist easterlies to north-easterlies from the Bay of Bengal over Tamil Nadu even as the seas around Sri Lanka buzz with activity.
Cloudy to rain day for Chennai, other TN cities
The Kapaleeswarar Temple in Mylapore, Chennai, gets ready for another day of mild showers.
Mostly cloudy with a 50 per cent chance of rainfall was the call for Chennai from international models this (Saturday) morning, with a day-time temperature maximum of 27 degree Celsius, average humidity of 79 per cent and winds east-north-easterly. Forecast for today (Saturday) by the Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, under the India Meteorological Department (IMD), for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry favours light rain at a few places of coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and light to moderate rain at isolated places in interior Tamil Nadu. Light to moderate rain may persist over isolated parts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry for the next three days as well.
Satellite maps this (Saturday) morning show light to moderate rain spreading out from over South Coastal Andhra Pradesh into Ponneri, Sholingur and Kancheepuram with Chennai expected to be hit again by thunderstorms by noon; Chengalpattu, Uthiramerur, Karunguzhi, Tindivanam, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Kallakkurichi, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, and parts of Madurai. The Chennai International Airport (MAA/VOMM) witnessed a drizzle at 12.15 pm, temperature at 25 degree Celsius, and winds north-easterly with an average delay in arrivals of five minutes and an enhanced 16 minutes in departures.
It was partly cloudy with a 50 per cent chance of rain in Puducherry; cloudy/drizzling in Salem, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli and Madurai; and mostly cloudy in Thoothududi. A number of centres in Tamil Nadu received moderate to heavy overnight showers with Cuddalore, Cuddalore Collectorate and Tirupoondi (Nagapattinam) recording 8 cm each. They were followed by Nagapattinam, Manimutharu and Kodavasal (6 cm each); Thiruthuraipoondi and Papanasam (5 cm each); and Vedaranyam, Karaikal, Sethiathope, Nannilam, Annaikaranchatram, Aduthurai and Valangaiman (4 cm each). A number of other centres received rainfall amounts of 3 cm, 2cm and 1 cm.
Active western disturbance in North
The US National Centres for Environmental Predictions-Global Ensemble Forecast System (NCEP-GEFS) model outlook continues to favour the formation of a centre with core weather activity (likely low-pressure area) just to the South of Kanyakumari and West of Sri Lanka over the next week or so under the influence of an easterly wave activity. The ensuing rains may spread out into Kanyakumai and off and along the Kerala coast.
Meanwhile, the weather-generating western disturbance has moved in to lie across the international border over Pakistan and adjoining Jammu & Kashmir and an offspring circulation over North-East Rajasthan and neighbourhood. Under its influence, widespread rainfall and snow has already been realised over Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, as predicted by the IMD. Hails streamed down over Uttarakhand, Punjab, West Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, North Rajasthan and West Madhya Pradesh.
Peak fog season arrives
The chief amounts of rainfall received (in cm) during the 24 hours ending on Saturday morning were: Katra and Jammu-10 each; Khati-8; Rudraprayag-7; Pathankot and Panchmarhi-6; Sidhi-5; Moradabad, Hardoi and Palam-4; and Rewari-3.
The IMD has forecast widespread rain/snow with isolated heavy falls accompanied by thunderstorm or hailstorm over the hills of North-West India tomorrow (Sunday). Fairly widespread to widespread rain with isolated heavy falls accompanied with thunderstorm/hailstorm is also very likely over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and East Madhya Pradesh during the same period.
Thereafter, due to favourable meteorological conditions, dense fog at a few places with very dense fog at isolated pockets may envelop Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, North Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh in the morning hours of Sunday and Monday to signal the arrival of peak fog season over North, North-West and East India with implications for aircraft, road and train movement.
Rain cheer
Nothing excites Chennaiites like the rain does. The showers brought much cheer on Twitter and other social media platforms.
Up North, meanwhile, there’s hope that the rains will improve the air quality.
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