Rains play havoc in Chennai, weather dept predicts more spells for 2-3 days

Chennai: Heavy rain continues to lash parts of Tamil Nadu and has left several parts of Chennai waterlogged leading to traffic snarls.

The plight is set to continue, as per the predictions of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Tamil Nadu.

The department has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall for the next 24 hours in the coastal areas of the state.

The rains were a result of the onset of North-East monsoon in Chennai.

Director of the department, S Balachandran, said that the current rainfall activity spell is expected to continue for the next two-three days in the state.

“About 16 places recorded very heavy rainfall and 21 places recorded heavy rainfall,” Balachandran said.

The Met department in its latest update said, “Widespread rainfall expected over coastal regions in 24 hours, fairly widespread rain of moderate intensity over interior region.”

Chennai has been witnessing incessant rainfall since Monday evening, and was greeted with overcast skies on Tuesday.

Several schools in Chennai were closed ahead of schedule on Monday as the city experienced heavy downpour. The educational institutions were directed to remain shut on Tuesday following the showers.

Puducherry and its suburbs were also lashed by heavy rain on Monday. Traffic in the Union Territory also came to a crawl as in Chennai.

The North-East monsoon which brings most of the rainfall to Tamil Nadu has made its advent in the state last week.

In its initial forecast the MeT department said that the North-East monsoon would be "most likely normal" though it had been deficient last year.

In December 2015, Chennai was flooded after the heaviest rainfall in over a century, paralysing the airport and flooding factories in the state. At least 150 people had died that year because of heavy rain.