Chennai Rain: Schools, Colleges Shut in Several Tamil Nadu Districts Amid Heavy Rainfall

Chennai Rain: In view of incessant rainfall, the district adminstrations have declared holiday for schools and colleges in several parts of Tamil Nadu on Monday, January 8. 

Holiday has been announced for schools and colleges in Nagapattinam, Kilvelur Taluk, Viluppuram and Cuddalore district, said officials. Further, schools will remain shut in Ranipet, Vellore and Tiruvannamalai and Kallakurichi, according to official statements of respective district collectors.

Heavy rains lashed parts of Chennai and other districts of the state on Sunday evening, leading to traffic congestion and commuters facing severe road jams. The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Chennai has forecasted rains over various districts in Tamil Nadu for the next seven days.

The RMC forecasted heavy rains at isolated places over ten districts of the state for Sunday. "Heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places over Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai, Ranipet, Vellore, Tiruvallur, Chennai, Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi, and Tirunelveli districts and Puducherry," it said.

Earlier on Saturday, heavy rainfall lashed parts of Western Ghats and caused a flash flood at the Old Courtallam Falls at the foothills of the mountain range in Tamil Nadu's Tenkasi. 

Due to the flood-like situation, tourists were prohibited from bathing near the waterbodies adjacent to the Old Courtallam Falls, which is a major tourist attraction in the district, an official said.

Chennai Rain: IMD issues yellow alert for Tamil Nadu districts

The commuters will have to continue moving at a snail's pace due to traffic slowdowns as IMD has issued yellow alert (7-11cm/day) with heavy rainfall warning for six northern districts including Chennai and Tiruvallur and three southern districts.

The weather bureau has issued an orange alert (12-20cm/day) for Kancheepuram and Chengelpet as they may receive heavy to very heavy rainfall. But why rains are lashing parts of Tamil Nadu in dry January? It's majorly due to convergence of winds because of a trough, an elongated region of relatively low pressure, in the easterlies moving inland.