Chennai: The rain Chennai receives from Sunday midnight till Monday morning is likely to be its last significant spell this month, as the deep depression over the Bay of Bengal moves northwards and is expected to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm before making landfall between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam by the forenoon of Oct 28.Chennai is likely to experience largely dry weather next week, while the Cauvery delta districts are also expected to turn dry from Tuesday. However, the city may receive isolated rain on Monday, while Chengalpet and Kancheepuram districts are likely to receive moderate rainfall.V R Durai, head of the Regional Meteorological Centre’s weather forecasting division, said the possibility of rain would remain minimal until Nov 2 as winds turn westerly, with the system moving north and intensifying into a cyclone. “The westerly winds will be completely dry. Only after the cyclone weakens will the winds turn easterly and northeasterly, bringing rain clouds,” the official said.Weatherman Pradeep John said most parts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai and neighbouring districts, would receive rainfall through Sunday night. “This particular wind pattern has brought rain to the city in the past, though weather models do not say so. The Kodaikanal and Coonoor belts are likely to witness heavy rainfall as easterly winds get trapped against the hills,” he said.Despite the northeast monsoon setting in on Oct 14, Chennai and neighbouring districts have received heavy rain for only a day, with scattered spells keeping temperatures below normal. Till 5.30pm on Sunday, Meenambakkam recorded just 1.2mm of rainfall and Nungambakkam 0.6mm. Coonoor recorded the highest rainfall at 47mm, followed by Coimbatore with 44mm and Kodaikanal with 41mm. The maximum temperature remained below normal at 28.1°C in Nungambakkam and 27.8°C in Meenambakkam.Meanwhile, the IMD’s S-band weather radar at Chennai port developed a technical glitch on Sunday. Officials said the 15-year-old radar was prone to sudden failures. An X-band radar installed at Pallikaranai, with a range of 180km to 200km, is available as a backup, along with the radar at Sriharikota. The ageing radar at Chennai port is expected to be replaced next year, officials added.
