A deep depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal is causing concern for north Tamil Nadu and Puducherry as the region braces for heavy rains and potential flooding. Although the system, which has been battering Sri Lanka with severe rains and flooding, was initially expected to intensify into a cyclonic storm, meteorologists predict it will weaken into a depression by Friday evening before crossing the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coast.
The regional meteorological centre has issued a red alert for several coastal districts, including Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Puducherry, and Karaikal, on Friday, November 29. The warning highlights the possibility of scattered heavy to very heavy rain, with some areas expected to experience extremely heavy rainfall.
On Saturday, the red alert will extend to more districts, including Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, and several others, along with Puducherry. The rainfall is expected to begin on Friday morning and intensify throughout the day, peaking on Saturday. Villupuram and Cuddalore have already announced school and college closures for Friday, and Puducherry has followed suit by shutting educational institutions for both Friday and Saturday.
As of Thursday, the depression is stationed 410 km from Puducherry and 470 km from Chennai, with little movement in the past 24 hours. It is expected to gradually move north-northwestward and make landfall between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram on November 30. Despite the intense rainfall, former IMD chief KH Ramesh reassured residents that the system’s weakening nature would likely prevent any significant property damage or storm surges. He also noted that the heavy rains in Sri Lanka, which received more than 600 mm of rain in the past three days, are unlikely to be replicated in Tamil Nadu due to dry northwesterly winds.
While Tamil Nadu will not face the same extreme rainfall amounts as Sri Lanka, Ramesh predicts rainfall between 15 cm to 20 cm in areas from Puducherry to Chennai on November 30. The region will face a challenging balance between the approaching weather system and local atmospheric conditions, which could temper the intensity of the rains.
Despite the uncertainty of the storm’s exact impact, authorities and residents in affected areas remain on high alert as the system approaches the coast.
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