Heatwave to continue till May 4 in Tamil Nadu; govt sets up water points

Chennai: Heatwave conditions prevailed in most parts of Tamil Nadu on Friday with many places sizzling between 38 to 41 degrees Celsius, even as the MeT department warned that similar conditions are likely to continue till April 30. Independent weather bloggers said the heat wave will intensify to its peak between May 1 and May 4 in interior parts of north Tamil Nadu.

Vellore in north Tamil Nadu and Karur in western Tamil Nadu recorded the highest temperature at 41 degrees Celsius, while the temperature in Madurai was 39 degrees Celsius, Dharmapuri (38), Chennai (36), and Thoothukudi (33), causing severe inconvenience to people.

As the heat wave continues in the state and is set to intensify in the coming days, Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena held a review meeting with officials of Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) to check the preparedness of the agency as demand for power is expected to peak in the coming days as people seek the comfort of air conditioners even during the day due to the heat wave.

The review meeting came a day after Chief Minister M K Stalin assured the people that precautionary measures have been taken to handle the heat wave by setting up water supply points in over 1,000 locations across the state, including in 299 bus terminuses and 68 markets, and distributing Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) packets to people.

Stalin asked people, especially elderly, children, and pregnant women, to take precautions and appealed to them to keep themselves hydrated. “Drink water frequently. Even if not thirsty, do drink water regularly,” Stalin said, adding that government hospitals and primary health centres have been kept ready for any eventuality.

In its forecast, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said heat wave conditions are likely to prevail at isolated pockets over north interior Tamil Nadu from April 26 to April 30. “Due to humid air & high temperatures, hot & discomfort weather is very likely to prevail at isolated pockets over the rest of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal,” the IMD bulletin added.

Independent weather blogger Srikanth, who tweets under the handle Chennai Rains on X platform, told DH that the maximum apparent (feels like) temperature is much higher than the actual temperature recorded. “Since places like Chennai are in the coastal area and the sea breeze is weak these days, the humidity increases. When this happens, the temperature shoots up by about 5 to 6 degree Celsius, making it very uncomfortable and unbearable,” Srikanth said, adding that humidity spikes up because of the moisture.

He said the feels like the temperature on May 1 is expected to exceed 46°C across most parts of Tamil Nadu. “The maximum temperature is likely to be around 40-42°C in most interior places indicating how the high humidity closer to the coast makes it unbearable compared to the dry continental elsewhere in the country,” Srikanth added.

Another weather blogger Pradeep John said heat wave in expected get its peak from May 1 to 4 in north interior Tamil Nadu, particularly Vellore, Ranipet, Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram, Erode, Salem, Namakkal, Trichy, and Karur. “At same time, there will be rain from May 5 in interior areas of the state,” John added.