Amid the heavy rainfall in the state and India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has announced a holiday for schools and colleges in four districts on Tuesday.
Apart from this, the state government had issued a work-from-home advisory for the areas from 15-18 October.
Earlier on Sunday, the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) had issued a red alert for many parts of Chennai.
According to the weather department, rainfall of up to 20 cm in a single day is predicted during the monsoon.
Heavy rainfall warning:
IMD had predicted that several districts, including Dharamapuri, Salem, Nilgiris, and Erode, may experience heavy rainfall. The state capital, Chennai, and nearby districts could witness heavy rains due to the anticipated arrival of the northeast monsoon by October 15 or 16.
On Sunday, the weather department forecast heavy rains over several districts in the state for October 14.
“Heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places over Dharmapuri, Salem, Nilgiris, Erode, Namakkal, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Tiruchirapalli, Karur, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Dindigul, Pudukkottai, Nagapattinam, Sivagangai and Ramanathapuram districts,” it said.
It also forecast heavy rains at isolated places over Villupuram, Cuddalore, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Mayiladuthurai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Pudukkottai, Nagapattinam districts and Puducherry and Karaikal among others.
Among other details, IMD predicted that between October 12 and 16, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal may witness isolated heavy rainfall, which would be extreme on 14-15 October. Citing this, an orange alert has been issued on the dates in the region and people have been warned of potential flooding and waterlogging.
“Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal between October 12-16, with the most intense downpours likely on October 14-15. An orange alert has been issued from October 14-16,” said the weather department.
The IMD has also issued a warning to fishermen and advised them not to go in or around the sea until October 17 due to rough sea conditions and gusty winds