Chennai: Will the weather forecasts prove right this time? Will rain bring some relief to the drought-stricken state in the first week of March? Most parts of the state, barring north Tamil Nadu which includes the capital Chennai, may experience significant rains from March 3.
However, there could be some relief for Chennai too. After having suffered sultry weather for more than a week, Chennaiites experienced a slight dip in the day temperature on Sunday. This may continue for the next 10 days, say weather experts.
Sunday saw a dip in temperatures in coastal districts due to the increasing cloud cover and moisture content. Substantially, the maximum and minimum temperature in the city, from the data from Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), was 29.6 degrees Celsius and 23.1 C. The maximum temperature was hovering around 32 degrees last week.
Weather blogger Pradeep John says, “While the probability of rains to Chennai is still a question, other parts of the state would receive good rains due to the trough of low or the possible low pressure at the South West Bay (near Sri Lankan coast).”
The pattern of pleasant days and warm nights in coastal districts of the state would continue for the next two weeks, he stated. March is generally not a favourable month for significant rains in Tamil Nadu.
According to RMC data, the record breaking rainfall of 166.9mm for a March month in Tamil Nadu was witnessed in 2008. However, the March average rainfall is only 20mm.
