The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Chennai issued a warning of heavy rainfall in 23 districts in Tamil Nadu owing to the formation of cyclonic storm Maha in the Arabian sea.
READ IN TAMIL | Cyclone Maha Latest Updates Heavy Rain Alert Given To 23 Districts
The RMC has issued a warning to the districts of Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Ramanathapuram, Virudhunagar, Madurai, Sivagangai, Pudukkottai, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Trichy, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Villupuram, Thiruvannamalai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Vellore.

Traffic movement was hampered in Kodaikanal today after heavy rainfall in the region caused landslides in over 10 places along the Periyakulam-Kodaikanal road.
Officials have issued a flood hazard warning to people living along the banks of the river Thamirabarani in Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts following heavy rainfall in the districts.
Tourist entry to the Kumbakkarai falls near Kodaikanal has been barred for the 38th day owing to flooding at the falls following heavy rainfall in the region.
The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) has predicted heavy rainfall in 14 districts in the State including Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Ramanathapuram, Erode, Dharmapuri, Salem, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Theni and Dindigul districts and Puducherry over the next 24 hours.
Chennai and areas surrounding the city will receive light to moderate rainfall.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman wadded through a water-logged street in Chennai’s Shenoy Nagar Thursday following heavy rains in the area. Sitharaman was in the city to participate in a walkathon on the occasion of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s 144th birth anniversary and the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. She was accompanied by several BJP leaders.
According to the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority, Kanyakumari recorded heavy rainfall with 75.98mm in the past 24 hours. It is followed by Ramanathapuram (64.11mm) and the Sivagangai(63.34mm). Heavy rain in Nilgiris s in the last few days led to landslides in a few places.
After a brief lull in rainfall in the district, Thanjavur began receiving heavy rainfall in the afternoon.
Heavy rainfall in Niligiris led to landslides in the regions and damaged buildings in its wake. Owing to rainfall, schools in four taluks in the region had declared a holiday today.
District Revenue Establishment and Disaster Management minister R B Udhaya Kumar announced today that the cyclone Maha will not affect Tamil Nadu. The minister said that the cyclone, which has been moving in a northeast direction will bring heavy rainfall in the State. "32 districts in Tamil Nadu have been receiving rainfall and there will be an increase in rainfall for the next few days", said Udhaya Kumar.
With parts of Tamil Nadu experiencing heavy rainfall for the past 24 hours, sea conditions along the coast are expected to be rough in the wake of cyclone Maha travelling northeast along the Arabian Sea.
After a brief sunny morning, rains enveloped the city again as Guindy, Ekattuthangal and Ashok Nagar received rainfall in the morning.
District authorities have issued a flood hazard warning to people living near the Marunanadhi dam in Dindigul district after the water stored in the dam was found to be filling up rapidly.
The Public Works Department (PWD) in Dindigul had issued a flood hazard warning to people living in Attur, Neelakottai and Marunanadhi on Wednesday after the level of water stored the dam which is located near Vatthalakundu near Dindigul reached 67.5 feet yesterday.
District authorities have barred entry of tourists at Tirparappu waterfalls in Kanyakumari for the third day after the falls had flooded owing to heavy rainfall in the district.
With clear and sunny skies being replaced by a thick blanket of clouds in the city, traffic in Pallavaram was reduced to a snail's pace during the morning commute.
Private weather blogger Tamil Nadu Weatherman took to Facebook today and announced that Chennai will see a break in the ongoing northeast monsoon in the State for the next 10 days. According to the blogger, there will be a gradual decline in the amount of rainfall across Tamil Nadu owing to the pull effect.
Following heavy rainfall in the state, schools in Rameswaram district have been granted a holiday today.
Despite heavy rainfall in districts across the state, the monsoon seems to have given Chennai a break with the city experiencing sunny and clear skies at the moment.
Chennai district collector Seethalakshmi announced that schools and colleges in Chennai and Kancheepuram will continue to function as usual.
Schools in four taluks in Nilgiris and schools in Karaikal district have declared a holiday today, while both schools and colleges in Kodaikanal declared a holiday for students today.
Schools in neighbouring Puducherry have declared a holiday as well.
Following heavy rainfall in Tamil Nadu, schools and colleges in three districts have been given a holiday for the second consecutive day. Schools and colleges in Thoothukudi and Kanyakumari districts declared a holiday on Thursday, while only schools in Ramanathapuram district declared a holiday for students.
Tamil Nadu fisheries minister D Jayakumar announced that 10 teams consisting of 35 officers had been dispatched to Tuticorin and Kanyakumari districts to warn fishermen about a possible cyclone formation off the coast and direct them to not venture into the sea for the next two days.
DMK MP K.Kanimozhi visited Thoothukudi's old bus stand which got damaged due to heavy rainfall. The district recorded 12cm rainfall in the past 24 hours. RMC has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in Tamil Nadu in the upcoming days.
Districts of Salem, Thoothukudi and Namakkal, which were experiencing clear skies in the morning received heavy rainfall in the afternoon.
Private weather blogger, Tamil Nadu Weatherman announced that parts of Tamil Nadu and the Kancheepuram-Tiruvallur-Chennai region (KTC) belt will receive heavy rainfall throughout the day today. According to the blogger, delta regions in the State and the KTC belt will receive rainfall throughout the day from pull effect bands, thus resulting in a huge inflow of water in lakes across Chennai.
The Public Works Department (PWD) in Dindigul district issued a flood hazard warning to people living in Attur, Neelakottai and Marunanadhi after the level of water stored in Ayanapalayam-Marunanadhi dam near Vatthalakundu near Dindigul reached 67.5 feet.
The Regional Meteorological Department (RMC) has directed fishermen along the coasts of Kanyakumari, Gulf of Mannar and Kerala to not venture into the sea for the next two days, with heavy rainfall forecasted in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry until November 1.
The Regional Metrological Centre in Chennai has predicted heavy rainfall in 20 districts in Tamil Nadu for the next two days. Madurai, Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari, Ramanathapuram, Virudhunagar, Tiruchirappalli, Tiruvallur, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Cuddalore, Pudukottai, Kanchipuram, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Theni, Coimbatore, Dindigul, Nilgiris, Puducherry, and Karaikal districts have been issued a warning of heavy rainfall.
A bridge in Kovai district collapsed following heavy rainfall in the region.
Districts of Kovai, Nellai and Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu had received widespread rainfall since dawn.
A portion of a bridge in Thiruneermalai-Thirumudivakkam road got washed away after a spell of heavy rain on Wednesday.
Private bloggers in the city took to Twitter to vent out against the Dindigul district collector's last-minute holiday announcement. The district collector for Dindigul had declared a holiday for schools in the district around 9 am, leaving several students who had already left for school stranded in the rain.
Revenue Administration Commissioner Radhakrishnan announced that the State was prepared to tackle the monsoon season in the State. With the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) having forecasted heavy rainfall in south Tamil Nadu districts, the commissioner said that disaster management teams from Tamil Nadu and the Centre were ready to tackle any rain-related accidents. "Further, two out of five boats in the sea are in touch with fishermen", said Radhakrishnan.
Parts of Chennai such as Erambur, Marina Beach, Pattinapakkam, Mylapore, Tiruvallikeni, Chennai Central and Santhome have been receiving heavy rainfall since dawn.
Entry to the famous Courtallam waterfalls in Nellai district was halted in the morning owing to flooding caused by heavy rainfall in the district. The government has suspended tourism activities at the waterfalls temporarily.
Due to heavy downpour in the Tirunelveli, the district administration had declared leave on Wednesday for all the schools and colleges. The Univesity exams, which was supposed to take place Wednesday in Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, has also been postponed to October 31st.
The government has temporarily halted ferry service to Thiruvalluvar statue and Vivekananda Rock following heavy rainfall in the district.
Heavy rainfall has been recorded in Chennai in areas such as Porur, Valasaravakkam, Ashok Nagar, Ekkatuthangal, Guindy and Meenambakkam.
Schools along the hilly regions in Kodaikanal have declared a holiday today following heavy rainfall in the district.
The government has announced that schools and colleges in Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram will continue to function as usual.
Due to persistent rainfall, tourist spots in Kodaikanal have been shut down. Places like Bryant Park, Boat House where people gather in large numbers during the winter season have been closed.
Fishermen in Kanyakumari district have been advised to not venture out into the sea today following heavy rainfall in the district and windspeed exceeding 50 km per hour.
Parts of Chennai received moderate to heavy rainfall in the morning, hindering the morning commute for school and college students.
The district collector of Dindigul announced in the morning that only schools in the district will be given a holiday today following heavy rainfall in the district. Colleges and offices in the district will continue to function as usual.
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