Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram district experienced intense rainfall on Wednesday following a cloudburst triggered by the northeast monsoon. The deluge caused widespread flooding, disrupted daily life, and inflicted significant damage on infrastructure.
The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Chennai confirmed the extreme weather event, with Pamban weather station recording a staggering 28 cm of rainfall by 5.30 pm, including 10 cm in a single hour from 1 pm to 2 pm. Rameswaram recorded 41.1 cm, Thangachimadam 32.2 cm, and Pamban 23 cm.
The relentless rain led to waterlogging across various areas, with water inundating fishermen settlements in Pamban, Chinnapalam, and Muthumuni. Ten boats anchored at Mandapam were damaged. The rainfall event, intensified by upper air circulation over the Comorin area and a weather system over the Arabian Sea, left the Northeast monsoon vigorous over southern Tamil Nadu.
The RMC has issued a red alert for Ramanathapuram, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, and Karaikal, warning of extremely heavy rainfall until Thursday morning. Nagapattinam and Karaikal have already recorded 9 cm of rainfall each, while other south coastal and delta districts have experienced heavy rains for six consecutive days.
The downpour was caused by strong cloud formations leading to the cloudburst, an event marked by sudden, intense rainfall exceeding 10 cm/hour over a limited area. Experts anticipate continued rainfall, with the RMC predicting very heavy rain in isolated areas of Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts.
The forecast indicates a new weather system could revive rainfall in coastal Tamil Nadu, with intense rain expected over delta districts on November 25 and 26 and heavy showers in parts of north Tamil Nadu on November 26.