South Peninsula in general and Tamil Nadu, in particular, is the entry point of ‘Pre-Monsoon’. While the wintry conditions extend up to mid-March or even beyond over North India, summers announce the arrival over the south, anytime mid-Feb onward.
Many stations start breaching the 35°C mark from the 3rd week of Feb and sometimes even earlier. Invariably, Kerala takes the lead to become the hottest over South Peninsula. The other pocket which runs the race for heat is Odisha, occasionally touching 40°C by end of February.
Though there are no official bounds as such, the Pre-Monsoon for South India is counted between 01st March and 31st May. This is kept so, in view of the likely arrival of the southwest monsoon in 01st June.
The season keeps picking pace and is considered harsh between 15thApr and 20th May. The state of Tamil Nadu has over 1000km of coastline and therefore observe more humid conditions than the interiors. Madurai, Trichy, Thanjavur, Karur and Erode nearly turn into heat islands with day temperatures in excess of 40°C.
Pre-Monsoon thunderstorms are expected to commence from 03rdMar over the state. The activity is likely, to begin with, the coast and extend further to deep inland on 04thMar. Chennai, Puducherry, Karaikal, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam and Tondy are expected to be struck with big thunderstorms on these 2 days. Also, the interior parts will be hit fiercely with stormy and squally conditions with lightning and heavy showers on both days, more so on 04thMar.
This will mark the beginning of Pre-Monsoon on a flashy note. Severe thunderstorms may spare the extreme southern parts like Tuticorin and Kanyakumari and also be less punishing for Coimbatore, Salem, Tirupur and Ooty. The weather activity will become relatively mild on 05th and 06th Mar and largely clear the area on 07th Mar.
