Tamil Nadu weather: Cyclone alert issued for north TN, southern Andhra

A cyclone alert has been issued for Tamil Nadu as an upper air cyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal intensifies. The IMD has forecast heavy to extremely heavy rainfall for Chennai, Puducherry and coastal districts, with schools shut and flood risk remaining high.

By: Express Web Desk

Updated: October 22, 2025 08:50 AM IST

3 min read

A worker unclogs drain on a waterlogged road following rains, in Chennai, Tuesday, Oct. 21,

Cyclone alert in Tamil Nadu: A worker unclogs drain on a waterlogged road following heavy rain in Chennai on Tuesday. A cyclonic circulation is likely to move towards northern Tamil Nadu today (Photo: PTI).

Tamil Nadu Cyclone Alert: A cyclone warning has been issued for the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu due to an upper air cyclonic circulation over the South Bay of Bengal. As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), it is likely to move west-northwestwards and concentrate into a Depression over Southwest and adjoining West-central Bay of Bengal off north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry-Karaikal and South Andhra Pradesh coasts by Wednesday afternoon.

Later, it is likely to continue to move west-northwestwards towards north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry-Karaikal & South Andhra Pradesh coasts and intensify further during subsequent 24 hours.

Parts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, have been dealing with massive flooding and waterlogging due to the heavy rainfall across the state over past week.

Also Read | Chennai schools closed today: Holiday declared after heavy rain, cyclone alerts in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu rain alert

As per the IMD, heavy to very heavy rain at a few places with extremely heavy rain at one or two places is likely to occur over Villuppuram, Chengalpattu, Cuddalore and Mayiladuthurai districts and Puducherry.

A rainfall of 2.5mm-15.5mm in 24 hours is classified as light rain, whereas rainfall of 15.6-64.4mm is categorised as ‘moderate’. If the 24-hour average rainfall is between 64.5 and 115.5 mm, it is classified as ‘heavy rain’. The rainfall is classified as ‘very heavy’ if it is over 115.6mm and below 204.4 mm. Anything above 204.5 is categorised as ‘extreme’.

The latest IMD bulletin read: “Heavy to very heavy rain is likely to occur at a few places over Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Ranipet, Tiruvannamalai, Kallakurichi, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam districts, and Karaikal area.” “Heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places over Salem, Tiruchirappalli, Vellore, Tirupattur, Dharmapuri and Pudukkottai districts.”

Story continues below this ad

On Thursday heavy rain has been forecast over Vellore, Tirupattur, Tiruvannamalai, Villuppuram, Kallakurichi, Cuddalore districts and Puducherry, while Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Salem, Erode, Nilgiris, and Coimbatore districts are likely to get heavy rain on Friday.

Chennai weather forecast

Chennai residents are again going to see a rainy day with intermittent spells of moderate and heavy rain with thunderstorm and lightning. The maximum temperature in and around Chennai is likely to hover around 28°C and the minimum temperature could be around 24°C-25°C, as per the IMD.

Schools in Chennai will remain closed due to the heavy rainfall warnings. Chennai District Collector Rashmi Siddharth Jagade said that schools have been closed to ensure students’ safety.

From the homepage