Tamil Nadu Holiday On December 5: Will Chennai Schools Reopen Or Students Get One More Holiday?

A lull in the relentless rain was visible in Chennai today as the sun reappeared after nearly a week of cloudy skies and flooding. The weather agencies say the low-pressure system that battered the coast has weakened into a less-marked low-pressure area, though an upper-air cyclonic circulation persists over the southeast Arabian Sea and adjoining Lakshadweep, keeping the region under watch.

The Regional Meteorological Centre has placed 13 districts plus Puducherry on yellow alert for Thursday: Vellore, Ranipet, Tiruvallur, Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Tiruvannamalai, Villuppuram, Nilgiris, ghat areas of Coimbatore, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Tenkasi.

While the worst of the system has passed, officials caution that localized heavy rain remains possible in the southern coastal belt.

City rainfall records from Wednesday show several pockets received very high totals: Manali New Town (Zone 02 W18) recorded 24 cm, followed by Ennore (21 cm), Wimco Nagar (20 cm) and Kathivakkam (16 cm), with many suburban stations reporting between 7 cm and 15 cm of rain in 24 hours. These concentrated downpours explain the severe waterlogging and road damage reported across Chennai and neighbouring districts.

Why the rains eased, and what remains

Weather blogger R. Pradeep noted that the interaction between a low-level circulation and an upper-level westerly trough has ended, which has reduced the system's intensity; only short, non-threatening spells are expected over the next two days in the KTCC (Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Chennai, Chengalpattu) region.

In a post on Facebook, he wrote, "There will be some small spells in the next 2 days but it wont be close to threatening ones. There will be some rains tomorrow morning to noon in KTCC which will be normal rains. The clash of our low pressure area winds (low 1.5 to mid level 5 km) and the upper level westerly trough winds (mid 5 km to upper levels 10 km) has come to end. (sic)"

The RMC bulletin similarly reported that the well-marked low over north Tamil Nadu and Puducherry has become less marked, and the associated trough has weakened.

Urban impact: roads and daily life

The downpour exposed weaknesses in Chennai's road network. Arterial stretches from Ashok Nagar to Padi Flyover and sections of Anna Salai showed extensive potholes, erosion and standing water; residents and riders reported damaged vehicles and hazardous driving conditions. Even recently repaired corridors such as parts of OMR developed pits after sustained rain, and local water and civic agencies are under pressure to prioritise urgent patchwork and drainage clearance.

Is There A Holiday For Schools and Colleges On December 5?

Local district administrations of the rain-hit districts had declared school closures on December 3 and 4 in the worst-affected pockets of Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu.

As of now, no school holiday has been officially announced for December 5; district authorities are expected to review road conditions and issue any decisions by this evening.

Based on the forecast, schools are likely to reopen on Friday. However, with roads still damaged and waterlogging posing difficulties for students who commute long distances, district authorities may yet declare a holiday.

However, parents should monitor official district bulletins and school communications; many colleges remain open but individual institutions may set their own schedules.