Orange alert issued for Chennai and neighboring districts

Chennai: The Regional Meteorological Center has issued an orange alert for Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram and Chengalpattu. Heavy to very heavy rain can be expected in these districts on Thursday. Other districts are on yellow alert and there is a possibility of heavy rainfall in other areas.

Officials at the Regional Meteorological Center said the deep depression over the Bay of Bengal and adjacent South Andaman Sea areas moved west-northwestwards and overran the southeast Bay of Bengal on Thursday morning.

“The pressure is expected to move in a west-northwest direction and may intensify into a depression during the next 24 hours. It will move further in a west-northwest direction and form a depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal by December 3. It may turn into a cyclone. After that, it will move in a north-westerly direction and move towards north-east-south Andhra coastal areas on December 4, Dr S Balachandran, Deputy Director General of Regional Meteorology, said. Trying to see whether it will weaken or strengthen on December 4.

Under the current weather conditions, heavy rain can be expected over Chennai and neighboring districts till December 4. Among other districts, Thoothukudi, Ramanathapuram, Pudukottai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Cuddalore and Villupuram are likely to receive heavy rains till December 2.

Apart from these districts, Thanjavur, Pudukottai, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Sivagangai, Vellore and Ranipet are also likely to receive heavy rain on December 3 and December 4. In the last 24 hours till Thursday, Tiruvallur received the highest rainfall of 19 cm, followed by Chennai at 15 cm and Nagapattinam at 14 cm.

Meanwhile, the outflow of water from Chembarambakkam lake which was initially 6,000 cusecs in the morning, declined to 4,000 cusecs in the afternoon. The lake is currently at above 89 percent storage.