Tamil Nadu rainfall has prompted school closures in Thoothukudi and Puducherry, while the India Meteorological Department has forecast heavy to very heavy rain across several districts until October 25. The weather system has also led authorities to advise mechanised boat fishermen in Thoothukudi not to venture into the sea.
Thoothukudi district administration announced a holiday for schools on Thursday after continuous rain affected urban and suburban areas. District Collector Vishu Mahajan ordered the closure in view of the prevailing weather conditions.
In the neighbouring Union Territory of Puducherry, all government, government-aided and private schools in Puducherry and Karaikal were also declared closed on Thursday. Education Minister A Namachivayam announced the decision amid the forecast of heavy rain.
The IMD said a low-pressure area over the southwest Bay of Bengal, off the Tamil Nadu coast, was likely to bring isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal and Kerala between October 21 and 25. For Thursday, the department forecast heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places, along with thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds of 40-50 kmph at one or two locations.
Rain that began on Tuesday continued overnight in several parts of the state. Chennai’s MGR Nagar recorded the highest rainfall in the city at 15 cm, while several neighbourhoods in and around the capital received between 10 cm and 15 cm. The IMD has issued a yellow alert for Chennai.
The rainfall warning covers Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, Tenkasi, Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram, Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Coimbatore, the Nilgiris, Sivaganga, Pudukkottai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai, as well as Karaikal in Puducherry.
The weather department has forecast widespread rainfall on October 23. Heavy to very heavy rain is likely at isolated places in Kanniyakumari, the Nilgiris and Coimbatore districts. The IMD bulletin also warned of thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds reaching 40-50 kmph at one or two locations in these districts.
The school closures and fishing advisory remain the immediate administrative response to the weather warning. Further local decisions will depend on rainfall conditions and subsequent advisories issued by district administrations and the IMD.
