Chennai Records 36 cm of Rain Overnight as Streets and Airport Entrance Flood

Chennai woke on Sunday, October 18, to streets under water after a night of very heavy northeast monsoon rain. Parrys, in the north of the city, recorded 36 cm of rain in the downpour that ran late on Saturday, October 17, and into Sunday morning, The Hindu reported, citing the Integrated Command and Control Centre of the Greater Chennai Corporation.

Kathivakkam followed with 34.4 cm. In the 12 hours from 6 p.m. on October 17 to 6 a.m. on October 18, Meenambakkam recorded 28.5 cm, Chennai Central 27.4 cm, Tiruvottiyur 22.4 cm and Ennore 21.5 cm. Corporation data listed 18 locations with heavy rain and 17 locations with very heavy rain across the city.

Roads, airport entrance and neighbourhoods under water

Heavy overnight rain triggered widespread waterlogging, submerging vehicles and flooding the entrance of Chennai Airport, India Today reported. North Chennai took some of the most intense rain in a short span.

The Hindu reported bus routes and interior roads inundated across many zones on Saturday. Traffic slowed on Anna Salai, and G. N. Road toward T. Nagar was under water, with vehicles stranded. Besant Nagar beach was flooded, with ankle-deep water in parts of Besant Nagar. In Madipakkam, water rose in Kuberan Nagar Extension, Govindasamy Nagar, LIC Nagar and Sadasivam Nagar. Velachery Main Road and streets near the Guru Nanak College signal were flooded. At Tiruvottiyur, a pandal collapsed at the Thiyagaraya temple, with no injuries reported.

Clearance work and rescue teams on standby

The Greater Chennai Corporation stepped up water clearance work, including in Kolathur, India Today reported. Teams cleared a silt block at the Kathipara service road and stagnation in Zone 6, The Hindu reported.

Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and civic officials inspected relief and clearance work. National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force teams were placed on standby and reviewed preparedness with the corporation commissioner, India Today reported. IANS reported that an NDRF team was being sent to Chennai as a precaution after heavy rain at six locations in the city on Saturday, drawn from the force battalion at Nagarikuppam, near Arakkonam.

Not a cloudburst, and more rain is forecast

The Regional Meteorological Department linked the rain to significant convective cloud development over north coastal Tamil Nadu and nearby sea areas, tied to a cyclonic circulation over the region. The department said the Chennai rain came from organised, widespread convective activity linked to that circulation, rather than an isolated, localised cloudburst. In India, a cloudburst is described as 100 mm or more of rain within one hour over a small area of about 20 to 30 square kilometres, the department noted.

Heavy to very heavy rain was expected in Chennai and its neighbourhood again on Sunday, October 18. IANS said heavy rain was likely across 17 districts of Tamil Nadu on Sunday, including Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram. Heavy rain was also forecast for Monday, October 19, in Chennai and a wider set of coastal and interior districts, with thunderstorms and lightning in some areas.

Rain paused and conditions improved in parts of the city on Sunday, but authorities stayed on alert, India Today reported.