Tamil Nadu rains: Weather system intensifies, red alert issued in 8 dists

Chennai: As the Northeast monsoon intensified across Tamil Nadu, the regional weather office on Tuesday issued heavy rainfall alert to a number of districts, while Chief Minister M K Stalin reviewed the situation with officials and directed that precautionary measures be put in place in view of the downpour.

He also directed deputing IAS officers as Monitoring Officers to districts that have been issued heavy rain alerts.

B Amudha, Director of Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) Chennai said a low pressure area that formed over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a well marked low pressure area and is located approximately 400 km from Chennai.

This could intensify into a potential cyclone, added RMC Director while briefing the media on Tuesday.

"By noon tomorrow, there is a possibility that the system will strengthen into a Depression. This is expected to occur off the coasts of north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh," said Amudha.

Depression is the stage following a low-pressure system.

According to her, while intensification up to the deep depression stage is forecast, the possibility of it developing into a cyclone or storm can only be stated with some certainty after it has become a depression.

'Right now, the system that was a Deep Low-Pressure Area over the southeast Arabian Sea on October 20, is persisting with the same intensity," she added.

According to Amudha, a red alert was issued for 8 districts and an orange alert for Chennai for Tuesday. The red alert was issued to Villupuram, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Tiruvallur, Thanjavur, Pudukottai and Ramanathapuram. Similar alert was sounded for neighbouring Puducherry union territory as well. Apart from Chennai, an orange alert has been sounded for Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Kallakurichi, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari, according to IMD bulletin.

A red alert indicates extremely heavy rain of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while an orange alert means very heavy rain of 11 cm to 20 cm.

"Chennai recorded an average of 60mm rainfall today, with a high of 100mm in Medavakkam," added Amudha. She also said that between October 1 and October 21, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal have recorded 160mm rainfall, which is 59 per cent higher than the normal average of 100mm for this period.

She advised fishermen against venturing into the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and South Andaman Sea from October 23 to October 26, as squally winds reaching speeds of 45-55km/h gusting up to 65km/h, are expected.