Chennai skies behave post Deepavali night celebrations

 

The Chennai Centre of India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted generally cloudy skies with light rain or drizzle as the city emerges from Deepavali celebrations.

At least one weather enthusiast tweeting at @BHASKARANSHIVAR regretted that while the ‘rain gods allowed Chennaiites to celebrate Deepavali without hindrance, the latter misused it by extending celebrations beyond the stipulated timings and guidelines driving up pollution to ‘its worst last night.’ Self-discipline need of the hour,’ the tweet reasoned.

Pollution levels moderate

The morning after, the pollution levels had moderated over most parts of the city, according to the National Air Quality Index maintained by the Central Pollution Control Board. This is even as the National Capital Region around New Delhi continued to report ‘very poor’ to ‘severe pollution’ levels.

@ChennaiRains tweeted that while north east monsoon may be subdued over coastal areas such as Chennai on Friday, interior Tamil Nadu may see heavy rains in a few places today (Friday) due to wind instability. Coastal areas may see intermittent rain later in the night/early on Saturday.

Rain for interior Tamil Nadu

A cyclonic circulation over south west and adjoining west central Bay of Bengal off the north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh coasts may be the best bet yet against any immediate prospect of acute pollution of the Chennai skies.

Meanwhile, the IMD said that many places over coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam and Lakshadweep and a few places over coastal Karnataka, Kerala and Mahe and isolated places over Madhya Maharashtra, Telangana, Rayalaseema and Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal received rainfall or thundershowers until Thursday evening.

Laggard ‘low’ hangs in

The causative low-pressure area, noted for its niggardly pace for onward movement and lying over south east Arabian Sea and adjoining Lakshadweep, is likely to move into east central Arabian Sea by Saturday.

Other members of the atmospheric ensemble steering the regional weather include a trough running down from the ‘low’ to the east central Arabian Sea off the south Maharashtra coast and a cyclonic circulation lying off the north Tamil Nadu-south Andhra Pradesh coasts.

It will trigger light to moderate rainfall at many/most places with isolated thunderstorm and lightning over the south Peninsula and at isolated places over south Konkan, Goa, south Madhya Maharshtra and south Marathawada during the next 5 days.

Heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places over Kerala, Mahe and Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal during the next five days, over coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam during next three days, over south Interior Karnataka, south Konkan and Goa today, and over Rayalaseema on Saturday and Sunday.