Chennai: The Chennai Meteorological Department has reported that Tamil Nadu and Puducherry received 55% more rainfall than normal during the southwest monsoon in June and July this year.

In a statement, Chennai Meteorological Department Director P. Senthamarai Kannan said, “Due to variations in the speed of westerly winds, moderate rain with thunderstorms and lightning is expected in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry today. This condition may continue until August 4. In Chennai, the sky will be cloudy for the next two days, and light rain with thunderstorms may occur in some areas.”

The report also warned fishermen not to venture into the central and southern Bay of Bengal, and the northern part of the southern Bay of Bengal, where gale-force winds are expected to reach speeds of up to 55 km/h.

The average rainfall during the southwest monsoon season in Tamil Nadu is typically 32.80 cm. From June 1 to July 29 this year, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry have received 55% more rainfall than usual. Normally, these two months would see 11.5 cm of rainfall, but this year they have received 17.9 cm. Specifically, in the Tirunelveli district, 21.6 cm of rainfall has been recorded, which is 4.58% more than the normal level of 3.8 cm.

However, districts such as Ariyalur, Kallakurichi, Nagapattinam, Perambalur, Tiruvarur, and Thoothukudi received less rainfall than usual. In contrast, all other districts received above-normal rainfall, with Chennai, Nilgiris, Ranipet, Theni, Tirunelveli, and Tiruvallur districts experiencing more than 100% above-normal rainfall.