The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai, has issued an orange alert for 17 districts in Tamil Nadu for Thursday (Oct 22), forecasting very heavy rain accompanied by thunder and lightning.
RMC Director V.R. Durai said the weather is being influenced by a low-pressure area over the southwest Bay of Bengal, which is expected to bring intense rainfall to southern parts of the state. He added that heavy rain may persist in Tamil Nadu until Oct 26.
The orange alert covers Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, Tenkasi, Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram, Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Sivaganga, Pudukkottai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai.
Meanwhile, Trichy, Erode, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Cuddalore, Namakkal, Villupuram, Tiruppur, Karur and Puducherry are likely to receive heavy rain with thunder and lightning. In Chennai and its suburbs, skies are expected to remain cloudy, with moderate rain at a few places.
