Chennai’s Nungambakkam receives third-highest daily rainfall for June in 73 years

Chennai has seen it all this June in terms of extreme weather events: the city was experiencing a record heatwave until two days ago, and is now back on the charts for another record, with rainfall received on Monday.

Chennai has seen it all this June in terms of extreme weather events: the city was experiencing a record heatwave until two days ago, and is now back on the charts for another record, with rainfall received on Monday.

A heavy downpour across the city and its peripheral areas that began on the night of Sunday, June 18, 2023 and continued into Monday, June 19, set a new record of the highest rainfall received in June in Chennai, after nearly 27 years. In a rare event in June, a rain holiday was declared for schools in Chennai and neighbouring districts.

S. Balachandran, Additional Director General of Meteorology, Chennai said Meenambakkam recorded the second-highest daily rainfall in June in the past 73 years. with 16 cm on Monday. Similarly, it was the third-highest daily rainfall registered in Nungambakkam in June, with 9 cm.

June 1996 still holds the record of exceptional rains when Nungambakkam received a whopping 34.7 cm on a single day and Meenambakkam got 28.2 cm in a day.

On Monday, a few other places in and around Chennai also received heavy rainfall: Taramani and Alandur (14 cm); Chembarambakkam (13 cm) and Anna University (10 cm), apart from widespread overnight rains in other areas, leading to waterlogging in many parts of the city.

The Meteorological Department has predicted isolated heavy rains will continue in various districts, including north Tamil Nadu and delta districts, on Tuesday.

Mr. Balachandran said the current rainspell will continue till June 23 and Chennai too, has prospects of heavy rains in some places.