Chennai to get rains this weekend

A trough of low pressure that currently lies over the Gulf of Thailand is likely to bring widespread showers over many rain-starved parts of the State for a week from Friday.

Officials at the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) here announced the presence of a trough with upper air cyclonic circulation extending upto 3.6 km, over the Gulf of Thailand as observed on January 17.

They said it would move westwards gradually over the course of the next 3-4 days to bring rain to Tamil Nadu and Puducherry before moving further west.

This weather happening will increase the cloud cover over the coastal parts of the state. With cloud cover and moisture laden winds, rain activity can be expected over the area.

Rains in January are not uncommon with cities like Chennai, Vellore, Madurai and Tiruchi sometimes receiving 10 mm to 23 mm during the month

S Balachandran, director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre, said, "The system is currently weak. But over the course of the week it is expected to gain momentum and eventually move westwards.This will bring heavy showers to coastal parts of the state, with a possibility of milder showers in one or two interior parts as well."

Chennai too may see light showers during the weekend. Though it had drizzled in some parts of the city around New Year, this might be the first spell providing substantial rain, he said.