Chennai, neighbouring districts face heavy rains even as Cyclone Ditwah weakens

Chennai: After a cold Sunday, people of this metropolis and three neighbouring districts woke up to a wet Monday and experienced heavy rains throughout the day even as Cyclone Ditwah weakened into a Deep Depression.

Heavy rains across the city and in Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur, and Chengalpattu took everyone by surprise as weatherman predicted there won’t be much rains from the cyclonic storm on Monday.

Cyclone Ditwah, which wreaked havoc in Sri Lanka leading to the death of over 300 people, was forecast to bring heavy to very rainfall in coastal Tamil Nadu on November 30. However, the forecast failed with rains missing the region on Sunday but intense spells of rains began lashing the city in the wee hours of Monday.

Chennai received about 6 cm rainfall between 8.30 am and 2 pm with Ennore in north Chennai alone recording about 12.9 cm rainfall, the highest in the city.

Several localities in north Chennai received over 10 cm rainfall in about six hours leading to waterlogging and inundation in a few low-lying areas, including in the business district of T Nagar. About a dozen trees fell in Kodambakkam, Alwarpet, and other areas, even as motor pumps were used in several localities to drain rain water out.

Rains which began early Monday continued to lash till the time of writing even as school students and office goers were the worst hit. Since district administrations did not declare a holiday, a majority of the schools functioned on Monday despite rains causing inconvenience to students, especially those in primary and middle schools.

With rains continuing unabated, Tuesday was declared as a holiday for Chennai, Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur, and Chengalpattu districts. The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) kept about 200 boats ready to evacuate, if need be, people living in low-lying areas like Velachery.

IMD, Chennai said the Deep Depression (Remnant of Cyclonic Storm Ditwah) over Southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining North Tamil Nadu-Puducherry lay at about 50 km east of Chennai on Monday and is likely to weaken into a Depression by Tuesday. The weather office predicted that rains will continue on Tuesday in the four districts.

Chennai Weatherman, an independent weather page on X, said LLCC (Low-Level Circulation Center) of the weakened cyclone is sitting very close to the coast "almost like a beating heart", just outside Chennai. "With the favourable conditions, we are seeing a series of Convection bursts firing around it."

“When almost the entire Tamil Nadu is silent, Chennai is the only city roaring with rains today from Ditwah,” the X handle added.

Chief Minister M K Stalin chaired a high-level meeting and asked authorities to assess the damage caused to crops in the Cauvery Delta region due to the torrential rains.