The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai, said an upper-air cyclonic circulation over the southeast Bay of Bengal has developed into a low-pressure area. The system is expected to strengthen into a depression today, deepen further tomorrow, and may intensify into a cyclonic storm by the morning of the day after.
According to the RMC, once it strengthens, the system could move towards the north Andhra Pradesh–south Odisha coast. The weather agency has issued an orange alert for very heavy rain with thunder, lightning and strong winds in Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, Coimbatore, Nilgiris and Theni districts for today.
Heavy rain with thunder and gusty winds is also likely in several districts including Erode, Salem, Namakkal, Karur, Tiruchi, Tenkasi, Madurai, Dindigul, Virudhunagar, Tiruppur, Perambalur, Ariyalur, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Ranipet, Pudukkottai, Cuddalore, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Mayiladuthurai, Sivaganga, Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Krishnagiri, Tirupathur, Dharmapuri, Ramanathapuram and Thoothukudi, as well as Puducherry. Other parts of Tamil Nadu may see moderate rain with thunder and strong winds.
Rainfall recorded on Thursday included a state-high 16 cm at Sattur in Virudhunagar district, followed by 14 cm at Chinnakamanpatti (Virudhunagar) and 13 cm at Samuthirappatti (Dindigul). The RMC also warned fishermen not to venture into the sea as squally winds reaching 55 kmph are likely over parts of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.
