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Updated – June 20, 2024 02:43 am IST
Published – June 20, 2024 12:56 am IST – CHENNAI
Since the beginning of June, Chennai has witnessed unusual wet weather. A scene at Perambur Barracks Road in Chennai late on June 18, 2024. | Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam
This June is on the track to become one of the wettest Junes for Chennai in the past 60 years.
Since the beginning of this month, the city has witnessed unusual wet weather. Evening thunderstorms have been a frequent phenomenon over north Tamil Nadu, particularly Chennai and its neighbourhood, on most of the days. In a rare occurrence this month, Nungambakkam has recorded nearly 20 cm of rain so far. Meenambakkam has received 24.1 cm of rainfall so far. This is significantly higher than the city’s average rainfall of 6 cm in June.
In the past 55 years, Chennai has recorded excessive rain of over 20 cm in June in 1991, 1996 and 2023. There were nearly 10 rain days in the month as against the usual four days.
P. Senthamarai Kannan, Area Cyclone Warning Centre, Chennai, said that a cyclonic circulation over Rayalaseema and its neighbourhood would influence thunderstorms in the Chennai region till Thursday. Rain clouds may shift their path to north interior regions later this week. With the southwest monsoon current expected to pick up pace in Kerala, rainfall of heavy to very heavy intensity may lash Tamil Nadu’s Western Ghats districts and the adjoining places on June 22 and June 23.
Thunderstorm activity this month has pushed the State’s seasonal total rainfall to nearly 8 cm, as against the normal figure of 3.4 cm.
“We have added more rain gauges and weather stations to our observational network in the recent years. This too has increased the availability of rainfall data in places like Chennai,” said Mr. Kannan. Weather experts observed a steady increase in the southwest monsoon rainfall after 1990. Y.E.A. Raj, retired Deputy Director-General of Meteorology, Chennai, said weak monsoon progress in other States, weather systems closer to Tamil Nadu and convective activity led to unusual rain this month. Increased cloud cover had also reduced the day temperature.
“Chennai received a whopping 70 cm of rainfall in June 1996 when a cyclonic storm passed close to the city. This remains the all-time record. Usually, thunderstorms pick up pace mid-July. Chennai got the monsoon feel much earlier this year,” he said.
The convergence of strong sea breeze with more moisture and moderate westerlies often triggered widespread storms in Chennai and parts of north Tamil Nadu. The strength of westerly winds is another significant factor that influences rainspell in June, he said. The India Meteorological Department has forecast rain spells to continue in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry till June 25.
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