Weather department predicts thunderstorms, rain in TN, Puducherry today

The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Chennai on Monday, 3 November, described a sky caught between seasons — with the northeast monsoon having made its formal entry, yet its full flourish still withheld.

As Tamil Nadu and Puducherry await moderate rains accompanied by thunder and lightning over the next couple of days, weather experts say the monsoon’s melody remains muted, awaiting the steady rise of the easterly winds to set its true pace.

In its latest bulletin, the RMC noted that the northeast monsoon, though officially underway, continues to be subdued by weak easterly winds and the lingering dominance of westerlies. Scattered spells of rain dotted the state in the 24 hours ending Monday morning — with Malai in Ranipet, Sethupattu in Tiruvannamalai, and Valathi in Villupuram each recording 3 cm of rainfall, a modest prelude to the season’s promise.

Out at sea, a low-pressure area lingers stubbornly over the east-central Bay of Bengal and the adjoining Myanmar coast, expected to drift slowly towards Bangladesh and Myanmar within the next 24 hours. While this system remains distant, its influence on Tamil Nadu’s weather is felt in fleeting clouds and patchy rain.

The forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday holds the prospect of moderate thunderstorms with lightning over isolated parts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Light rains are likely to sprinkle across the region till 11 November, even as daytime temperatures climb — in some districts, up to four degrees Celsius above normal.

For Chennai and its suburbs, the RMC predicts a day of deceptive calm — partly cloudy skies by morning giving way to scattered showers and thunder by evening. Despite the occasional downpour, the heat is expected to linger, fed by the limited moisture streaming in from the Bay of Bengal.

Meteorologists explain that the tug-of-war between westerlies and easterlies has kept the monsoon in a hesitant mood, its rhythm interrupted by warm afternoons that often culminate in dramatic, convective evening showers. This capricious pattern, they say, is likely to continue until mid-November, when the easterly winds are expected to finally gather strength — ushering in the full flourish of the northeast monsoon.

Meanwhile, far away in the South China Sea, a tropical storm named Kalmaegi has spun to life near the Philippines, charting a path towards Thailand. Officials have assured, however, that this distant tempest will have little bearing on Tamil Nadu’s skies — which, for now, remain poised between heat and hope, waiting for the monsoon’s true song to begin.

With IANS inputs