2 min readChennaiUpdated: Dec 3, 2025 04:42 PM IST
Chennai weather today: Children on Tuesday play on a waterlogged road following heavy rain triggered by the depression left behind by Cyclone Ditwah (Photo: PTI).
For the third straight day, winds from the remnants of Cyclone Ditwah battered Chennai and surrounding districts on Wednesday as the weakened weather system stalled unusually close to the Tamil Nadu coast, which meteorologists say has prolonged heavy rainfall across the region.
Once a deep depression, Ditwah has now weakened into a well-marked low-pressure area along the North Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coastline. Despite this, its slow inland drift has kept rain bands rotating over Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and northern coastal districts, triggering repeated bursts of heavy rainfall since early Tuesday.
The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai, issued an orange alert for several northern districts – including Chennai, Tiruvallur, Ranipet and Kancheepuram – warning of very heavy rainfall through Wednesday. The Nilgiris and Ghat sections of Coimbatore may receive up to 20.4 cm, while 18 other districts – including Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Madurai and Virudhunagar – remain on yellow alertfor heavy rain.
Rainfall remained intense and uneven across Chennai. Ennore recorded 13.5 cm overnight, followed by Wimco Nagar at 11.8 cm. In South Chennai, Medavakkam logged 10.5 cm and Pallikaranai nearly 9 cm. Earlier on Wednesday morning, Ennore and Hindustan University reported 15 cm each, among the highest in the state. The citywide average stood at 6.17 cm over the past 24 hours.
The persistent rain has prompted precautionary releases from key reservoirs. The Water Resources Department opened shutters at Poondi and Chembarambakkam to release 200 cusecs, while discharge at Red Hills reservoir was increased to 500 cusecs to create buffer storage ahead of anticipated inflows.
Low-lying neighbourhoods in Chennai reported waterlogging and traffic disruptions.
Meteorologists say Ditwah’s stall, rather than its intensity, is what has made it impactful. The depression is likely to stay for the next 36 hours near Chennai itself, according to independent weather forecaster Pradeep John, noting that the system appeared unable to move decisively west or east. The RMC expects the system to weaken further into a low-pressure area by Thursday as it moves southwest inland.
Despite tapering warnings, intermittent rainfall is expected to continue across Chennai, Tiruvallur, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri and southern coastal districts, including Ramanathapuram and Kanniyakumari, through Wednesday night.
Arun Janardhanan is an experienced and authoritative Tamil Nadu correspondent for The Indian Express. Based in the state, his reporting combines ground-level access with long-form clarity, offering readers a nuanced understanding of South India’s political, judicial, and cultural life - work that reflects both depth of expertise and sustained authority.
Expertise
Geographic Focus: As Tamil Nadu Correspondent focused on politics, crime, faith and disputes, Janardhanan has been also reporting extensively on Sri Lanka, producing a decade-long body of work on its elections, governance, and the aftermath of the Easter Sunday bombings through detailed stories and interviews.
Key Coverage Areas:
State Politics and Governance: Close reporting on the DMK and AIADMK, the emergence of new political actors such as actor Vijay’s TVK, internal party churn, Centre–State tensions, and the role of the Governor.
Legal and Judicial Affairs: Consistent coverage of the Madras High Court, including religion-linked disputes and cases involving state authority and civil liberties.
Investigations: Deep-dive series on landmark cases and unresolved questions, including the Tirupati encounter and the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, alongside multiple investigative series from Tamil Nadu.
Culture, Society, and Crisis: Reporting on cultural organisations, language debates, and disaster coverage—from cyclones to prolonged monsoon emergencies—anchored in on-the-ground detail.
His reporting has been recognised with the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism.
Beyond journalism, Janardhanan is also a screenwriter; his Malayalam feature film Aarkkariyam was released in 2021. ... Read More
