Chennai Sizzles as Meenambakkam Records 39 Degrees Celsius Amid Subdued Monsoon
In early July, Chennai experienced elevated daytime temperatures and hot afternoons, with Meenambakkam recording 39 degrees Celsius and Nungambakkam reaching 38.9 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) attributed the dry weather and rising heat across Tamil Nadu to a subdued Southwest monsoon and delayed sea breezes.
According to the RMC, while the monsoon has gained strength in other parts of India, its activity has turned subdued over Tamil Nadu. Strong westerly and southwesterly winds have delayed the onset of the sea breeze, depriving coastal areas of their usual afternoon relief and contributing to the rising heat levels.
The heat was particularly intense in Thondi in Ramanathapuram district, which registered its highest July temperature in a decade at 40.7 degrees Celsius on Monday, followed by 40.3 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.
In Chennai, the heat remained unrelenting on Tuesday, with temperatures hovering around 37 degrees Celsius even at 4:30 p.m. Strong southwesterly winds prevented wind convergence and the possibility of cloud formation, keeping the city dry and hot.
V.R. Durai, Head of the Regional Weather Forecasting Centre at the RMC, stated that the lack of widespread rainfall is expected to keep daytime temperatures slightly above normal, prolonging the warm spell in July. He noted that the delayed onset of sea breeze in coastal places like Thondi, Nagapattinam, and Chennai has kept daytime temperatures elevated.
This dry weather is expected to prevail over most parts of the state, with rainfall largely restricted to the Western Ghats region. Isolated places in Western Ghats districts like Coimbatore and Nilgiris may experience showers of light to moderate intensity until July 13.
While light rainfall is forecast for one or two places in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal over the coming week, Chennai is forecast to record maximum temperatures of 37 to 38 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. However, the RMC indicated that the wind pattern is likely to change towards the weekend, which may bring some respite to the state.
