The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : All but two districts record excess rainfall

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 13, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

All but two districts record excess rainfall

V. Jayanth

Chennai tops the list with 183.44 cm rain

CHENNAI: Eleven out of the 30 districts in Tamil Nadu have received more than twice the normal average rainfall for the season.

Only Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts remain in the "normal" category of the Indian Meteorology Department (IMD), while the other 28 districts have reported rainfall in excess of the normal precipitation during the Northeast monsoon season, as of December 7.

The disheartening news is that another `system' is developing in the Bay.

According to the figures released by the IMD for the period October 1 to December 7, 2005, Chennai continues to top the list with 183.44 cm rain, against the normal average of 66.35 cm (176 per cent in excess).

Tiruchi, which recorded heavy rain during the latest spell, has climbed to the second position, recording 76.86 cm rain (normal 31.75 cm).

The Weather office said the depression that crossed the coast near Vedaranyam on Saturday was still active, bringing copious rain to Kerala and western and southern regions of Tamil Nadu.

The Amaravathi is in spate in the Coimbatore-Erode region while the Vaigai is filled to the brim. The Courtrallam falls have been closed to tourists in view of the "very heavy" flow.

Tirunelveli is at the bottom end of the table, reporting two per cent less than the average rain for the season.

The district has recorded 35.55 cm against the average of 36.31 cm. Tuticorin district has received just its normal quota of 35.76 cm.

Asked if the season was coming to an end, IMD sources said: "There are, as yet, no indications to suggest any change in the pattern. The conditions are still favourable and the northeast monsoon remains active. Technically, it can go on till the end of the month."

The focus of the administration has shifted from the Nagapattinam-Thanjavur belt to Ramanthapuram-Sivaganga and neighbouring areas, as also the Erode-Namakkal stretch, where floodwaters are causing concern. An alert has also been sounded along the Cauvery, up to Karur.

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