Chennai, June 26 (IANS) Districts along the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu are set to receive enhanced rainfall this week, with the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai, issuing orange and yellow alerts for several areas until Saturday.

The alerts signal the possibility of intense rainfall in parts of the Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Theni, and Tenkasi districts.

According to the RMC, the Nilgiris and the ghat areas of Coimbatore are expected to receive very heavy rainfall on Thursday, while Theni and Tenkasi districts may experience heavy showers.

Rainfall activity is likely to persist over the Nilgiris and Coimbatore’s hilly regions on Friday and Saturday as well.

In addition, strong surface winds reaching speeds of 40-50 km/h are expected to prevail across Tamil Nadu till Saturday.

Officials said the rainfall is being driven by an upper air cyclonic circulation over the northwest Bay of Bengal and the adjoining coasts of north Odisha and West Bengal. This system is likely to evolve into a low-pressure area by Thursday, further intensifying the wet weather, particularly in the western districts of the state.

RMC Head (Additional In-Charge) B. Amudha explained that the convergence of strong westerly winds around the cyclonic system is pulling moisture from the Arabian Sea.

“This influx of moisture will trigger widespread rain across Kerala and adjoining ghat areas in Tamil Nadu,” she said.

Rainfall activity was already visible on Wednesday, with Valparai recording 6 cm of rainfall by 5.30 p.m. Light showers were also reported in Salem, Kanniyakumari, and Tenkasi districts.

The rest of the state is expected to see a marginal increase in rainfall during the week, with a slight dip in daytime temperatures in some places, especially on Thursday and Friday.

In Chennai, mild weather prevailed on Wednesday, with the maximum temperature dipping to 33.8 degrees Celsius, about 3.2 degrees below normal. The city is forecast to receive light to moderate showers on Thursday, with temperatures likely to remain between 36-37 degrees Celsius. So far, the southwest monsoon has been favourable for Tamil Nadu, delivering a 15 per cent surplus in seasonal rainfall since June 1, according to official data.

–IANS

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