StatesTamil Nadu
Chennai wakes to 149 mm in Parrys as Murasu rain lashes the north of the city
Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner G S Sameeran toured waterlogged roads on Monday morning and said there was only minor stagnation, with all of the city's subways open.
Key points
- Parrys recorded 149.2 mm of rain in the 24 hours to 6 am on Monday, the highest in the city.
- Commissioner G S Sameeran said there was some minor water stagnation but no major flooding.
- Only two of Chennai's 22 subways saw waterlogging, and all remained open.
Chennai woke on Monday to waterlogged roads after a night of torrential rain that fell hardest on its northern neighbourhoods and also soaked the neighbouring districts of Chengalpattu and Tiruvallur, as Cyclone Murasu closed in on the Andhra Pradesh coast.
Parrys, the old commercial heart of north Chennai, recorded 149.2 mm in the 24 hours to 6 am, according to the Greater Chennai Corporation’s Integrated Command and Control Centre. New Manali Town and Manali were close behind. Five locations had very heavy rain, 28 heavy and 25 moderate. Madhavaram logged 11 cm at the IMD’s stations, with Ennore Port and Nungambakkam at 10 cm each.
Rough waves pounded the city’s beaches. Corporation Commissioner G S Sameeran inspected stagnant water on Besant Road in Triplicane and then went to the command centre at Ripon Building to review the relief work. He said there was “some minor water stagnation” in a few areas and no major flooding.
Only two of the city’s 22 subways saw minor waterlogging, which was cleared quickly, and all of them stayed open. Pumps were draining the worst-hit streets and field teams with backup motors were posted at vulnerable spots. Sameeran said he was working with the city police on traffic and on the risk of wave surges along the coast.
Schools and colleges in Chennai are shut for the day under an orange alert for very heavy rain. Chennai airport has cancelled 11 IndiGo flights to and from Vijayawada, Rajahmundry, Kadapa and Tiruchirappalli for the day.
Murasu, now a severe cyclonic storm, is expected to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narsapur, close to Ongole, around midnight, with winds of 100 to 110 km/h gusting to 120 km/h.