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Southern India is currently facing heavy rainfall, with Chennai and Bengaluru experiencing particularly severe weather conditions. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for heavy rainfall in both cities for Saturday, October 19th. Visuals from Chennai show the city inundated with water, leading to significant flooding on roads. Residents have been seen utilizing boats to navigate the flooded streets and reach safer locations.
While Chennai is facing heavy rainfall, Bengaluru woke up to a foggy morning on Saturday, creating a refreshing hill-station atmosphere. The city's temperature currently stands at 23°C, with forecasts predicting a minimum of 20.49°C and a maximum of 26.67°C later in the day.
The heavy rainfall in Chennai is a continuation of an earlier spell that saw several areas of the city record extremely heavy rainfall until 8:30 a.m. on Thursday. Kathivakkam and Manali registered 23 cm and 21 cm of rainfall, respectively, while Cholavaram recorded 30 cm, Red Hills 28 cm, and Avadi 25 cm. As a result of the persistent rainfall, an orange alert has been issued for several Tamil Nadu districts, including Thiruvallur, Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Villupuram, Kallakkurichi, Thiruvannamalai, Ranipettai, Vellore, Tiruppattur, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Thiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukottai, Sivagangai, Ramanathapuram, Madurai, and Kanyakumari, as well as Puducherry.
The heavy rains have sparked political discourse in Tamil Nadu, with the main opposition AIADMK criticizing the MK Stalin-led DMK government's flood mitigation efforts. Chief Minister MK Stalin, however, has asserted that the government is well-prepared to handle any amount of rainfall, dismissing the AIADMK's accusations as mere politicization of the situation.
Bengaluru, although experiencing a foggy morning, is set to receive a week of heavy rainfall, with an alert already issued for Saturday. The weather department forecasts that this wet weather will persist until October 24, with maximum temperatures hovering around 28 degrees Celsius and minimum temperatures settling near 20 degrees Celsius. As of 3 PM, drizzles have been reported in Whitefield, Kalyan Nagar, Jayanagar, and Padmanabhanagar.
The heavy rainfall in Bengaluru has also impacted the ongoing Test match between India and New Zealand. On Day 4 of the match, the rains significantly affected the play, hampering the hosts' chances of a comeback. However, after a brief delay, the play resumed at 4 pm on Saturday. There is, however, a possibility that the game could be further disrupted by rain.
Source: Heavy rain batters Chennai, downpour in Bengaluru affects Ind vs New Zealand Test match