Light to moderate rain likely in parts of T.N. till December 28, says RMC

In what could be the final spell of the northeast monsoon, the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) has forecast light to moderate rainfall, particularly over coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, till December 28.

The rain spell may be concentrated in north Tamil Nadu on Christmas Day, while dry weather is likely to prevail in south Tamil Nadu.

The RMC has forecast isolated light to moderate showers in parts of the State till Sunday. After a brief hiatus, coastal parts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry may receive rainfall of light to moderate intensity on December 30.

With dry weather set to prevail largely over Tamil Nadu, the RMC has noted a tendency for minimum temperatures to drop two to three degrees Celsius below normal in some parts of the State till Sunday.

Chennai may continue to experience pleasant mornings with mist or haze cover, and is likely to receive light rain on Thursday.

B. Geetha, Scientist ‘E’, RMC, said that the easterly winds were picking up speed and may influence mild rain, particularly over north coastal Tamil Nadu and adjoining districts.

As of now, weather models also indicate minor rainfall activity on December 30.

Dry weather, coupled with enhanced radiation cooling, especially over hill ranges, may cause a drop in night temperatures and lead to ground frost.

A ground frost warning has been issued for isolated pockets of Kodaikanal and the higher ranges of the Nilgiris during the night and early morning hours on Thursday, she said.

Among the hill stations, Udhagamandalam recorded the lowest minimum temperature of 5.4 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. Kodaikanal and Coonoor recorded a minimum temperature of 7.2 degrees Celsius and 7.4 degrees Celsius respectively.

Many other places in the plains of Tamil Nadu, such as Salem and Namakkal, also recorded below-normal minimum temperature on Wednesday. Tiruttani recorded the lowest night temperature of 17.5 degrees Celsius among the weather stations in the plains.

So far this year, Tamil Nadu has recorded 42.7 cm of rainfall, which is 1% less than its seasonal average since October 1. However, the RMC has classified it as normal.

The department considers December 31 as the official end of the northeast monsoon, though the State may continue to receive rain in January next year. There have been years when the monsoon spell extended till mid-January, Ms. Geetha said.