Chennai: It is generally cloudy. Light rain may occur in Vellore, Salem, Coimbatore, Puducherry, Cuddalore and Chennai while it is sunny in Tiruchy and Madurai. This (highway forecast) is valid up to Sept. 9 (from Sept. 8), as per the IMD website.
Important cities of Tamil Nadu are among the 325 cities across the country that IMD has included in its weather forecast on its website.
This joint initiative with the Union tourism ministry helps the tourists plan trips beyond booking for accommodation and tickets. “Deferring a trip on account of extreme weather conditions is a thing of the past as the unique weather ‘highway’ forecast and ‘tourism’ forecast provides information on the prevailing weather conditions to help one cruise through TN with ease,” says a senior tourism official here. Totally about 106 tourist destinations across the country have been included for the forecast that is issued twice a day.
“The weather forecast is quite useful to those intending to travel to the northern parts of India, especially the Himalayan region,” the official said.
“Though this is a good initiative the tourism forecast is provided only for Coimbatore, Kanyakumari, Kodaikanal, Madurai and Tiruchy destinations at present. There are several other places which merit inclusion. During the monsoon season for instance, not many would be aware of the weather conditions of newer destinations they opt for, so, all the tourist destinations in Tamil Nadu should be included,” says Vinayak, a tour operators.
A helpline on whom to contact during emergency should be uploaded on the tourism website and the civic bodies having pilgrimage or tourism potential spots should also join the efforts in updating the visitors on a regular basis, said N. Natarajan, a travel agent.
