Chennai weather just got messier: ‘Excessive heat’ warnings issued even as incessant rains batter the city

Chennai, along with the rest of Tamil Nadu, is by no means the southwest monsoon’s target audience. However, a bunch of meteorological systems in the vicinity have resulted in the Tamil Nadu capital and its surroundings receiving quite a bit of rainfall in evening and late night hours over the last three days.

Yesterday was no exception and heavy rain, accompanied by thunder and lightning, lashed the city from 8 PM to 10 PM, leading to waterlogging in many low-lying roads, affecting traffic. The metro station road near Koyambedu market was completely waterlogged, causing difficulties for both pedestrians and motorists. Water accumulated in the Perambur and Avadi railway underpasses, with the municipal corporation still working to clear the water.

The municipal corporation stated that 21 underpasses in Chennai were unaffected by the rain, ensuring smooth traffic flow.

Between 8:30 AM yesterday and 5:30 AM today, Ayyapakkam recorded the highest rainfall at 13.4 cm. Other areas such as Ambattur, Anna Nagar and Perambur also received significant rainfall. The weather office predicts more rain in Chennai and surrounding districts, including Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu and Kanchipuram.

More wet conditions are forecast over Chennai today and during the coming days. But here’s the catch: despite such wet conditions prevailing in the Tamil Nadu capital, the Sun seems to be especially bright.

September heat in Chennai

The India Meteorological Department’s Nungambakkam weather station recorded a minimum temperature of 35.8°C today — almost 10 degrees above normal! Further, an “excessive heat” alert has been issued over Chennai based on weather.com’s projections. According to The Weather Channel, the temperature in the city stood at 30°C as of 12 PM today, but feels like 38°C instead.

Chennai has already been experiencing what was dubbed one of its worst heat spells for September. The city’s daytime mercury recently even almost touched 40°C, at least 5-6 notches above normal for the period. The last time Chennai recorded such high temperatures this time of the year was in 2002. While the rains were supposed to offer respite to Chennai, they seemed to have triggered more humidity, making conditions ‘feel’ more uncomfortable.

Meteorologists suggest this anomaly is linked to prevailing atmospheric conditions, where hot air combined with humidity amplifies the discomfort, even during rainy periods. This abnormal heat is expected to last for a few more days.

IMD forecasts temperatures to be in the 35-37°C range — about 1-3 notches above normal — for the next 3-4 days. Meanwhile, up to moderate rains, thunderstorms and lightning are possible in Chennai during the next 48 hours.