Cyclone Montha set to make landfall today, schools declared holiday in Chennai
Heavy rains lashed Chennai and its neighbouring districts late Monday night, leaving several areas waterlogged and prompting officials to declare a school holiday on Tuesday in Chennai and Tiruvallur districts.
The downpour, influenced by Cyclone Montha, intensified overnight as the system moved closer to the Andhra Pradesh coast.
Most weather stations in and around Chennai recorded between 20 mm and 30 mm of rainfall by late night, with totals expected to touch 50-70 mm by Tuesday morning, weather blogger RJ Pradeep John noted. Northern parts of the city, including Gummidipoondi, Ponneri, and Pulicat in Tiruvallur district, witnessed particularly heavy showers.
The Tiruvallur district has been placed under orange alert, while Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Ranipet, Theni, Tenkasi, and Kanyakumari are also expected to receive heavy rainfall at isolated places today. The ghat areas of Tirunelveli may see very heavy downpours as the cyclone nears landfall.
District Collector Rashmi Siddharth Zagade announced that all schools in Chennai and Tiruvallur will remain closed on Tuesday due to the prevailing weather conditions.
Cyclone Montha currently lies over the west-central Bay of Bengal, about 325 km east-southeast of Kavali. Moving at a speed of around 15 kmph, it is expected to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday morning.
The system is projected to make landfall between Machilipatnam and Kakinada on Tuesday evening or night, with wind speeds of 90-100 kmph, gusting up to 110 kmph.