Chennai and suburbs to enjoy chill mornings for few more days

Chennai experiencing cold nights and mornings with mist due to radiation cooling, temperatures dropping to 18 degrees Celsius.

With no cloud cover to trap heat, the night-time temperatures are dropping, making nights and early mornings cold in the city these past few days. Mist in the mornings due to moisture-bearing easterly winds from the sea is also adding to the chillness.

“As there is no sunlight at night, the ground continues to radiate heat absorbed during the daytime, causing the temperature to fall. This is called radiation cooling,” said P. Senthamarai Kannan, Director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre, Chennai.

He said the deviation from the average temperature would only be +/- 1 or 2 degrees Celsius, which was usual for the first week of January. On Sunday at 5.30 p.m., the maximum temperature was 30.3 degrees Celsius (normal temperature 29.2 degrees Celsius) in Nungambakkam and 30.2 degrees Celsius (normal temperature 29.4 degrees Celsius) in Meenambakkam.

Weather bloggers have also been forecasting colder mornings, with temperatures dropping to 18 degrees Celsius and below, especially in the suburbs. Senior meteorologist Y.E.A. Raj said as we move away from the coast, the temperature will decrease. “The city has recorded a temperature of 18 degrees Celsius a handful of times,” he added.

The Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, has forecast light to moderate rain in one or two places in coastal Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal areas. Dry weather is very likely to prevail in the interior parts of the State. From January 10, light to moderate rain may occur at many places in coastal Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal areas and a few places in the interior parts of the State.