After surpassing the monthly normal rainfall in August, September too seems to be heading in the same direction for Chennai. The first week of the month itself received 75 mm of rainfall, while the second week recorded 32 mm of rain. The city also witnessed moderate showers of 21.4 mm on Tuesday.
As on September 16, the city has received a total of 108 mm of rainfall, which is quite close to the monthly average of 137 mm. Chennai witnesses seven rainy days during this month, out of which it has already experienced five days of rain so far.
According to Skymet Meteorology Division in India, heavy showers have been forecast during the next 48 hours over the city. With this, Chennai stands a fair chance to surpass the monthly normal rainfall. The maximum temperature in city has been hovering around 35°C, which is almost normal.
Tamil Nadu is a rain shadow area, as a result less rain is observed in the region during the Southwest Monsoon season. However, it was one of the very few pockets that observed a surplus of 4% in June, while the entire country was experiencing scanty or deficit rain of 43%. Though month of July was deficit for the city, it again bounced back in August with 186.6 mm of rainfall, crossing the monthly average of 140 mm.
Northeast monsoon
September is the last month before the onset of Northeast monsoon, which stretches from October to December. Chennai receives more than 60 per cent of annual rainfall during these months. According to Skymet, the city will witness drop in temperatures, as October approaches and rainfall increases. There will be more number of rainy days in October, whereas the peak period for the season is November.
