Heavy rainfall lashed many parts of Tamil Nadu forcing the authorities to close schools in the Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, and Villupuram districts of the state. Puducherry also declared a holiday for schools and colleges on Tuesday.
The announcement comes after the meteorological department’s forecast of heavy to very heavy rainfall in several districts, including Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Villupuram, Cuddalore, and Puducherry on November 14.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday issued an orange alert, stating the possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall in coastal regions of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal.
The IMD said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, “Orange Alert! The coastal regions of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal are expected to experience isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall (115.6 to 204.4 mm) on November 13th and 14th. Stay safe, stay informed!”
The weather department said due to an upper air cyclonic circulation, a low-pressure area is likely to occur in the south-east Bay of Bengal. It warned of stormy weather and wind speeds reaching up to 55 kmph.
Till last week, Tamil Nadu received 17 per cent less than normal.
“For November 14, light to moderate rain is expected at many places, with thunderstorms and lightning likely at one or two places. Heavy to very heavy rain is likely at isolated places over Cuddalore, Villupuram, Chengalpattu, and Kancheepuram districts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Heavy rain is also expected at isolated places over Tirupattur, Vellore, Ranipet, Tiruvallur, Chennai, Tiruvannamalai, Kallakurichi, Perambalur, Ariyalur, Tiruchirappalli, Pudukkottai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai districts of Tamil Nadu, and Karaikal area,” news agency ANI quoted MET official Kannan.
Since the start of November, widespread rainfall has been observed in Tamil Nadu. Last week, most areas in the state experienced moderate to heavy rain, leading to severe waterlogging and the closure of schools.
State Minister of Housing and Urban Development, S Muthusamy, conducted an inspection of low-lying areas along with district administration officials. He pledged to take action to construct strong banks on the ponds.
Waterlogging due to persistent heavy rainfall was recorded in Erode, causing rainwater and drainage water to flood houses in low-lying regions.
