Cyclone Ditwah: Chennai under heavy to very heavy rain alert; schools, colleges shut

Cyclone Ditwah, which had weakened into a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal on Sunday evening, caught residents off guard on Monday as it returned with renewed strength and brought one of the wettest mornings of the season to the city.

Although the system had lost much of its cloud cover earlier, it gathered moisture overnight and slowly moved north at a speed of about 5 kmph. As it inched closer to the coast, thick clouds formed over Chennai and nearby areas, triggering steady and prolonged rainfall from around 5 am. Heavy showers affected several parts of the city, especially North Chennai and surrounding districts.

Low-lying areas were quickly flooded, traffic came to a standstill, and many school children arrived drenched. Around 10 am, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) upgraded its warning for the city, issuing an orange alert for Chennai and a red alert for Tiruvallur district due to the intensity of the rainfall.

More heavy rain in Chennai

The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Chennai forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall to continue over Chennai and Tiruvallur districts until Tuesday morning. This is due to the deep depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal and its proximity to the north Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts.

Isolated heavy rainfall is also expected over Ranipet, Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu districts.

Heavy rainfall recorded across the city

Between 8.30 am and 7.30 pm on Monday, Chennai recorded an average rainfall of around 10 cm. Nungambakkam recorded 9.45 cm, while Meenambakkam saw 6.2 cm of rain. Ennore topped the charts, receiving 13 cm between 8.30 am and 2 pm. Other areas such as Parry’s Corner, Ice House, Madhavaram, Saligramam and Vadapalani also recorded over 10 cm of rainfall.

From late morning onwards, several parts of the city saw intense rainfall, which further worsened waterlogging and traffic congestion.

Schools and colleges closed

In view of the weather warning and rising water levels, district authorities decided to close all schools and colleges in Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kanchipuram on Tuesday. Chennai District Collector Roshni Siddharth Jagade announced the holiday in the interest of student safety. Similar orders were issued by the collectors of the neighbouring districts as a precautionary measure against possible flooding and disruptions.

Officials have urged residents to remain cautious and avoid unnecessary travel until the weather improves.