Tamil Nadu Rains: 5 Dists On Yellow Alert Today As Unseasonal Rains Lash Chennai

Several parts of Tamil Nadu witnessed widespread rainfall on New Year's Day, prompting the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai, to place five districts under a yellow alert on January 1.

According to the weather agency, heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places over the Ghat areas of Coimbatore district, Nilgiris, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Kanyakumari districts during the day.

In its daily weather bulletin, the RMC stated that the rainfall activity was influenced by prevailing atmospheric conditions that favoured thunderstorm development along the coast and interior parts of the State. The alert indicates the possibility of heavy rain spells that could disrupt normal activities in vulnerable regions, particularly in hilly and coastal districts.

Chennai woke up to heavy showers on the first day of the New Year, with several parts of the city receiving rainfall well above forecast levels. According to official data, Perambur (Ward 67) recorded the highest rainfall in the city, measuring 11 cm. Ennore (Ward 03) followed closely with 10 cm, while Ennore Automatic Weather Station in neighbouring Tiruvallur district recorded 9 cm.

Other areas in Chennai also reported significant rainfall. Kathivakkam received 7 cm, while Wimco Nagar, Maduravoyal, Ayanavaram Taluk Office, Anna Nagar West, Perambur, Manali and Red Hills recorded 5 cm each. Outside the Chennai region, Dindigul district received 6 cm of rainfall, while K.Paramathi in Karur district also recorded 5 cm. Mahabalipuram in Chengalpattu district saw 5 cm of rain.

Weather officials said the rainfall pattern was unusual for this time of the year and exceeded initial projections. Popular weather blogger R. Pradeep John noted that the intensity of rainfall, particularly over North Chennai, came as a surprise. "What a start to the 2026 New Year! North Chennai is scoring 100 mm.

Light to moderate rains are happening across the city. This was well above expectations, especially since most models showed hardly any meaningful rainfall," he said. He also pointed out that the rain-bearing system extended into interior districts such as Karur, Dindigul and Tiruvannamalai, contrary to earlier model forecasts.

Another weather monitoring handle, Chennai Rains, cautioned residents about intermittent heavy spells through the day. In a post on X, it stated that a fairly intense thunderstorm system was hovering off the coast and could trigger additional rainfall over land areas. Localities such as Anna Nagar, Kovalam and stretches along the East Coast Road experienced intermittent showers through the night and early morning hours.

Meanwhile, the RMC reported a noticeable change in temperature patterns across the State. Minimum temperatures rose by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius at a few places over North Interior Tamil Nadu, while no large change was observed over the rest of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal during the past 24 hours. Minimum temperatures were above normal by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius at many places across the State and the Union Territories.

Erode recorded the highest maximum temperature in Tamil Nadu at 33.6 degrees Celsius. Karur Paramathi registered the lowest minimum temperature in the plains at 20.5 degrees Celsius, while Uthagamandalam recorded the lowest minimum temperature in the hill areas at 9.2 degrees Celsius.

For Chennai, the weather department has forecast light to moderate rain with thunderstorms and lightning in some areas. The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 29 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature is likely to be around 23 degrees Celsius.