After remaining in hiding for long, good Chennai rains are all set to make a comeback. All thanks to a Deep-Depression that has formed over Southwest Bay of Bengal. The system is presently centered at Latitude 8.2°N and Longitude 87.6°E, about 960 km east-southeast of Chennai, and 1130 km south- southeast of Machlipatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
At present, weather conditions are favorable for its intensification into a ‘Cyclone’ by Friday evening. This system would be named as 'Phethai' and is expected to move further in northwest direction towards the Andhra coast. It might make landfall somewhere between Ongole and Kakinada by afternoon of December 17.
Tamil Nadu is likely to escape the fury of the upcoming cyclone and northern districts of Tamil Nadu would settle with mainly moderate showers with few heavy spells December 15 onwards. Chennai may receive few moderate spells of rain and thundershower between December 15 and 16. We do not expect any extremely heavy rains over the city which would cause traffic jams and flash flooding.
However, sea conditions will remain rough to very rough between December 15 and 17. Wind speed will also be strong in coastal areas, somewhere between 40 to 50 kmph, gusting up to 70 kmph. Weathermen at Skymet Weather advice fishermen and local not to venture into the sea during this period.
By December 18, weather conditions will improve as the weather systems will move further northwestwards and weaken gradually.
Earlier weather models were indicating that the probable cyclone would head towards Tamil Nadu coast. If that would have happened, both Chennai and North Tamil Nadu might have recorded some heavy to very heavy rains.
Image Credits – DNA India
Any information taken from here should be credited to Skymet Weather