Tamil Nadu rain- ‘Orange’ alert across districts, schools and colleges shut; 9-year-old dies in Thiruvarur

Tamil Nadu rain: ‘Orange’ alert across districts, schools and colleges shut; 9-year-old dies in Thiruvarur

A nine-year-old girl died while her brother suffered injuries after a house wall collapsed on them following heavy rains in Tamil Nadu’s Thiruvarur district. The state has been lashed by uninterrupted rainfall since Sunday.

#WATCH | Moderate to Heavy rainfall recorded across various districts in Tamil Nadu last night. Visuals from Viluppuram.Due to incessant rainfall here, a holiday has been declared in schools and colleges here. pic.twitter.com/RKXgwRIa3Z

Also Read:Tamil Nadu rains: 3 killed, services disrupted as heavy rainfall throws life out of gear | Top Developments

The deceased girl has been identified as R Monisha, The incident occurred in a village near Nannilam on Sunday evening when the siblings were asleep in their house, which was in a dilapidated condition due to the continuous rain.

Orange alert issued

Continuous rainfall affected Chennai and nearby districts, prompting an ‘orange’ alert from the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) for several areas in Tamil Nadu, including Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, and Tiruvarur, as well as Puducherry and Karaikal.

Cumulative rainfall report (GCC areas). Kathivakkam in #Thiruvottiyur zone has recorded the highest rainfall (69.3 mm) in the last 24 hours followed by Uthandi (67.65 mm) in #Sholinganallur zone and Mugalivakkam (53.4 mm) in #Alandur zone. #ChennaiRains #Chennai pic.twitter.com/eFjwXeSYw8

— Janardhan Koushik (@koushiktweets) January 8, 2024

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), strong Easterly/Northeasterly winds prevail in the lower tropospheric levels, favoring moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal over Tamil Nadu, resulting in the current spell of rainfall across the region.

Also Read:Tamil Nadu floods: 10 dead, transport services hit as heavy rains batter southern districts

The RMC in Chennai has predicted rainfall across various districts in Tamil Nadu for the next seven days.

Rainfall update (07/0830 IST – 08/0530 IST)@Indiametdept pic.twitter.com/MPs6AmDT8E

— Tamilnadu Weather-IMD (@ChennaiRmc) January 8, 2024

“Heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places over Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai, Ranipet, Vellore, Tiruvallur, Chennai, Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi, and Tirunelveli districts and Puducherry,” the forecast stated on Sunday.

According to weather data released on Monday morning, Sirkazhi in Mayiladuthurai district recorded the highest rainfall at 24 cm, followed by Chidambaram in Cuddalore district at 23 cm, and Velankanni in Nagapattinam district at 22 cm.

Also Read:Schools shut as heavy rains batter Tamil Nadu, several lakes at full capacity

Schools and colleges shut

Eight districts in Tamil Nadu declared a holiday on Monday for educational institutions due to continuous rainfall in the state. District Collectors announced school closures in Kallakurichi, Ranipet, Vellore, and Tiruvannamalai.

Additionally, schools and colleges in Nagapattinam, Kilvelur, Viluppuram, and Cuddalore will remain closed on Monday, as authorities cited the adverse weather conditions. Annamalai University in Chidambaram postponed examinations in light of the heavy rain.

According to the cumulative rainfall report by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), Kathivakkam in Thiruvottiyur zone recorded the highest rainfall (69.3 mm) in the past 24 hours. Following closely were Uthandi (67.65 mm) in Sholinganallur zone and Mugalivakkam (53.4 mm) in Alandur zone till 6 am on Monday.

🚨 Traffic Alert 🚨Due to water logging in certain areas, traffic is moving slow.Traffic is being monitored LIVE: Status at 1030 hrs: #Chennai #Traffic #Police@SandeepRRathore@R_Sudhakar_Ips@chennaipolice_ pic.twitter.com/jV13Koptfa

— Greater Chennai Traffic Police (@ChennaiTraffic) January 8, 2024

The heavy rainfall led to waterlogging in various parts of the city, causing travel difficulties for daily commuters. Moreover, the ongoing Pongal gift hamper token distribution was affected, as shown in several videos depicting long queues of people enduring the heavy rain in Chennai.