Record rain for a July day floods roads, hits traffic

Record rain for a July day floods roads, hits traffic

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:18.07.2021

Rain buffeted the city for the second consecutive evening, breaking the record of highest 24-hour rain for July since 2018 and leaving many streets waterlogged. Nungambakkam recorded 69.5mm, highest since the 84mm recorded on July 10, 2017. While both Nungambakkam and Meenambakkam recorded excess rain since June 1, weathermen have forecast thunderstorms with light to moderate rain in the next two days.

“There is an upper-air circulation between 3.1km and 4.6km altitude and south-westerly winds are pushing moisture below which brought the rain. The circulation supported the convective activity and brought thunder along with rain,” said N Puviarasan, director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre, IMD, Chennai. Nungambakkam station recorded more rain on Friday (60.5mm) and Saturday (69.5mm) than Meenambakkam’s 14.4mm and 23mm. Between June1 and July 16, Nungambakkam recorded 176.2mm and Meenambakkam 171.7mm, which are 51.7mm and 32.4mm excess for the period. Chennai subdivision registered with 171.6mm against a normal 130.6mm, an excess of 31%.

West Tambaram recorded 24mm, Villivakkam 57mm, Taramani 15mm and Chembarambakkam 16mm as of 7.30pm on Saturday. The downpour left many roads in north Chennai and a few in the south like Velachery inundated forcing motorists to tread slowly. Joint commissioner of police Lalitha Lakshmi and her team monitored waterlogging on streets and field staff cleared them with the help of corporation staff. “We are taking action based on posts on social media by road users,” said Pradip Kumar, additional commissioner of police (traffic).

On Friday evening, heavy rain had caused waterlogging and kept policemen and corporation staff on their toes. Two uprooted trees were cleared within 20 minutes. On Saturday, the corporation operated pumps to push out water from subways like Ganesapuram in Royapuram and the one opposite Loyola College in Nungambakkam. A senior corporation official said Saturday's spell was one of the biggest this season, but in most areas, stagnant water cleared off soon.

DELUGED: Bazzar Road near Madipakkam on Saturday