Mild rain likely in parts of south T.N., delta districts on Thursday; dry spell to set in from Friday

Some parts of south Tamil Nadu and delta districts may continue to receive mild rainfall on Thursday, while dry weather and cool nights may persist over interior parts.

The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) has predicted that weak easterly activity may trigger light to moderate rain at isolated places in the Karaikal area too on Thursday. The State may be under the grip of dry weather conditions from Friday to February 10.

Shallow fog or mist conditions are likely to continue in isolated pockets of various districts, including Nilgiris, Salem, Krishnagiri, Vellore, Tirupattur, and Ranipet during early morning hours till Sunday.

Officials of the RMC said the minimum temperature may fall by one or two degree Celsius in one or two places over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal till Sunday. On Wednesday, Thuvakudi in Tiruchi district reported mild rains till 5.30 p.m. The maximum temperature remained largely normal or close to normal in the State, with Erode district recording 34.6 degree Celsius. This was the State’s highest maximum temperature recorded for the day.

The forecast comes even as the plains in the State recorded noticeably cool daytime conditions through January, due to the influence of large-scale winter systems over north and central India.

V.R. Durai, Director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre, RMC, said while minimum temperatures largely remained near normal, observations indicated that the State recorded a 1-2 degrees Celsius fall in maximum temperatures during January. This shows cool weather was more pronounced during the daytime.

The January cooling over Tamil Nadu was largely a daytime phenomenon, driven by reduced solar heating under dry continental air linked to northern winter systems. A high-pressure system over central India pushed cool, dry air southwards, limiting daytime heating and leading to below-normal maximum temperatures across many interior parts of the State, he said.

Tamil Nadu has recorded surplus rainfall of 33.5 mm against its seasonal average of 13.4 mm since January 1.