South India Flood Live Updates: IMD issues 'orange alert' in two districts in Kerala

Rains have stopped in most parts of northern Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, bringing relief to residents. Chief Minister M K Stalin announced that most areas have had water stagnation cleared.

Stalin also noted that food is being provided free of cost at Amma canteens in Chennai on October 16 and 17 to help poor and ordinary people.

With the rains stopping, traffic flow in the city has returned to normal, and public transport services are running without disruptions.

The Regional Meteorological Centre listed places that recorded extremely heavy rainfall between 8:30 am on October 15 and 8:30 am on October 16.

S. Balachandran, Director of the Chennai Regional Meteorological Centre, issued a warning that the northeast monsoon remains severe over Tamil Nadu, with the likelihood of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in parts of Chennai, Chengalpattu, Tiruvallur, and Kanchipuram in the next 24 hours. He further said that five places have already recorded extremely heavy rainfall, and a depression moving towards the north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh coast is likely to cross near Chennai.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an "orange alert" for two districts in Kerala on Wednesday due to the forecast of very heavy rainfall in isolated areas.

Malappuram and Kannur, both located in the northern part of Kerala, have been placed under the orange alert. Additionally, ten other districts in the state, including Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Wayanad, and Kasaragod, are under a yellow alert for heavy rainfall.

According to the IMD, these alerts indicate the possibility of significant rainfall in these regions.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced that a cyclonic storm is expected to cross the North Tamil Nadu-South Andhra Pradesh coasts between Puducherry and Nellore, near Chennai, early on October 17.

In preparation for the storm, the IMD predicted heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in certain regions including Tamil Nadu, South Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and South Interior Karnataka on October 16. According to the IMD, "isolated very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall is likely to lash parts of Tamil Nadu, South Andhra Pradesh and very heavy rainfall over Kerala & South Interior Karnataka today, October 16."

Residents in the affected areas have been advised to stay alert and take necessary precautions. The IMD continues to monitor the situation and provide updates as needed.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin announced that the state government is addressing the heavy rainfall affecting the region. In response to the weather alert, authorities have implemented precautionary measures swiftly, working with the public to manage the situation.

Chief Minister Stalin stated, "As soon as the alert about heavy rain was received, we took all precautionary measures and faced it with the cooperation of the public." He confirmed that most areas no longer have significant water stagnation.

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Efforts to remove any remaining rainwater will continue without interruption. The goal is to restore normalcy in all affected areas as soon as possible.

Several areas of Bengaluru experienced heavy rainfall of over 60 mm on Tuesday. This downpour caused temperatures to drop by two to three degrees Celsius in the city. The maximum temperature recorded on Tuesday was about 22 degrees Celsius, while the minimum was 19 degrees. This contrasts with Bengaluru's October average temperature of 28 degrees.

Bengaluru's rain troubles persisted on Wednesday, leaving commuters facing non-motorable roads due to severe waterlogging. Social media footage showed the alarming conditions, with city streets submerged in rainwater, posing life-threatening hazards.

Karnataka deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday urged residents to take precautions amid continuous rains in the city. He assured that the government is prepared to address the issues arising from the weather conditions.

Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society (KITS) released an advisory Tuesday evening, urging IT, BT and private companies to allow their employees to work from home on Wednesday due to heavy rain forecast in Bengaluru.

Karnataka deputy chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday advised people to take necessary precautions following incessant rains in the city, as he declared the government's preparedness to deal with the situation. He said the government has the "strength" to manage the situation and "set right" the issues that have cropped up due to the rains.

Tuesday's fits-and-starts rain in Bengaluru brought residents of Yelahanka, Mahadevapura and the city's east zone to their knees as swirling waters flooded nearly 150 houses and several stretches of arterial roads, slowing down traffic movement. Yelahanka was among the worst-hit areas, with more than 118 houses inundated. In Mahadevapura, 20 homes were affected by flooding. The downpour brought down 39 trees and 55 branches — 10 trees were uprooted in Yelahanka and seven in west zone.

Chennai, which woke up on Tuesday after a troubled sleep amid thunderclaps, went to bed under relatively calm skies, but with fingers crossed. The weather office said the northeast monsoon had set in after a well marked low pressure area in the Bay of Bengal intensified into a depression. Several streets got waterlogged for a few hours in the forenoon, but there was no wide-spread flooding as water drained from most places when the showers thinned out in the afternoon.

Most of the city recorded less than 10 cm of rain in the 12 hours from midnight to noon on Oct 15, yet water entered homes or flooded streets in several neighbourhoods. What's worrying is it could rain twice as much on Tuesday. Some of the flooding was because work on the Chennai metro had blocked drains.

V Govindarajan’s phone buzzed incessantly on Tuesday, with not just weather alerts but also desperate calls from his neighbours. With official helplines jammed, his team of 25 volunteers from the United Federation of Resident Welfare Associations of Tambaram Corporation became the community’s lifeline.

Nungambakkam (Chennai): 139.0 mm
Meenambakkam (Chennai): 116.4 mm
Cuddalore (Cuddalore): 36.0 mm
Tirupattur (Tirupattur) (upto 1730): 28.0 mm
Puducherry (Puducherry): 26.0 mm
Tiruttani (Tiruvallur) (upto 1730): 22.0 mm
Salem (Salem): 17.0 mm
Coonoor (Nilgiris) (upto 1730): 15.0 mm
Pamban (Ramanathapuram): 13.0 mm
Ooty (Nilgiris) (upto 1730): 10.0 mm
Vellore (Vellore) (upto 1730): 9.0 mm
Ariyalur (Ariyalur) (upto 1730): 6.0 mm
Valparai (Coimbatore) (upto 1730): 5.8 mm
Parangipettai (Cuddalore) (upto 1730): 5.0 mm
Dharmapuri (Dharmapuri) (upto 1730): 5.0 mm
Yercaud (Salem) (upto 1730): 5.0 mm
Erode (Erode) (upto 1730): 2.0 mm
Nagapattinam: 1.0 mm
Kodaikanal (Dindigul) (upto 1730): 0.3 mm
Karaikal: 0.2 mm
Tiruchirappalli (Tiruchirappalli): Trace

AWS:
Ennore Port (Chennai): 165.5 mm
Chennai (Chennai): 140.5 mm
Meenambakkam ISRO (Chennai): 115.0 mm
Jaya Engineering College (Chennai): 97.5 mm
VIT Chennai (Chengalpattu): 80.0 mm
Mahabalipuram (Chengalpattu): 78.5 mm
Tiruppur Collector Office (Tiruppur): 59.5 mm
Paiyur AMFU (Krishnagiri): 50.5 mm
Tiruttani PTO ISRO (Tiruvallur): 45.0 mm
Ooty AMFU (The Nilgiris): 35.5 mm
Chidambaram (Cuddalore): 29.5 mm
Hosur (Krishnagiri): 26.0 mm
Coonoor (The Nilgiris): 26.0 mm
Puducherry (Puducherry): 24.5 mm
Vedasandur (Dindigul): 21.5 mm
Kallakurichi (Taluk Office) (Kallakurichi): 16.5 mm
Tirupattur Collector Office (Tirupattur): 16.5 mm
New Chennai Township Private L (Chengalpattu): 7.0 mm
UPASI Tea Research Foundation (Coimbatore): 7.0 mm
Pechiparai AMFU (Kanyakumari): 7.0 mm
Mayiladuthurai (Mayiladuthurai): 6.5 mm
Ariyalur (Ariyalur): 2.5 mm
Kadavur (Taluk Office) (Karur): 2.0 mm
Erode ISRO (Erode): 1.5 mm
Govt HSS Mettur (Salem): 1.5 mm
MO Nagapattinam Campus (Nagapattinam): 1.0 mm
Tiruvarur (Tiruvarur): 1.0 mm
Neyveli (Cuddalore): 0.5 mm
Thirupathisaram AMFU (Kanyakumari): 0.5 mm
Namakkal AMFU (Namakkal): 0.5 mm
Aduthurai AMFU (Thanjavur): 0.5 mm

AGRO:
Sandhiyur KVK (Salem): 25.0 mm
Virdhachalam KVK (Cuddalore): 20.5 mm
Virinjipuram KVK (Vellore): 17.5 mm
Vamban KVK (Pudukottai): 1.0 mm
Sirugamani KVK (Tiruchirappalli): 0.5 mm
Tirur KVK (Tiruvallur) (upto 2330 IST): 0.5 mm

ARG:
Puzhal (Tiruvallur): 179.0 mm
Hindustan University (Kanchipuram): 164.5 mm
Good Will School Villivakkam (Tiruvallur): 160.5 mm
Anna University (Chennai): 154.0 mm
YMCA Nandanam (Chennai): 134.0 mm
NIOT Pallikaranai (Chennai): 122.2 mm
LMOIS Kolapakkam (Kanchipuram): 105.5 mm
Sathyabama University (Kanchipuram): 85.5 mm
ACS Medical College (Kanchipuram): 76.5 mm
Palacode (Dharmapuri): 42.0 mm
Sairam Institution (Chengalpattu): 36.5 mm
R.K. Pet (Tiruvallur): 34.5 mm
Chembarambakkam (Kanchipuram): 27.0 mm
Pochampalli (Krishnagiri): 23.0 mm
Virudhachalam (Cuddalore): 19.5 mm
Palani (Dindigul): 18.0 mm
Kollidam (Mayiladuthurai): 17.0 mm
Cheyyar (Tiruvannamalai): 17.0 mm
Thirukoilur (Kallakurichi): 7.5 mm
Kundah Bridge (The Nilgiris): 7.0 mm
P.N. Palayam (Coimbatore): 6.0 mm
Devalla (The Nilgiris): 2.0 mm
Manalmedu (Mayiladuthurai): 1.5 mm
Vazhapadi (Salem): 1.5 mm
Jayamkondam (Ariyalur): 0.5 mm

The depression over southwest Bay of Bengal moved west-northwestwards with a speed of 12kmph during the past 6 hours and lay centered at 5.30am over the about 360km east-southeast of Chennai (Tamil Nadu), 390km east of Puducherry and 450km southeast of Nellore (Andhra Pradesh). It is likely to move west-northwestwards and cross north Tamil Nadu - South Andhra Pradesh coasts between Puducherry and Nellore, close to Chennai during early morning of October 17.

Many trains, buses and flights were delayed and cancelled owing to heavy rain in the city on Tuesday. Several express trains were either cancelled or diverted due to waterlogging on the railway tracks. Among the affected trains were five that were scheduled to depart from Chennai Central: Sapthagiri, Yercaud, Kaveri, Bodinayakanur Superfast, and Tirupati Express. Due to continued waterlogging between the Vyasarpadi and Basin Bridge sections, some of these trains were also cancelled for Wednesday.

Bursts of moderate to heavy rain lashed Bengaluru on Tuesday, causing widespread inundation and disruption of daily life in the city. While the widespread heavy rain did not unleash casualties, it flooded about 150 houses in various localities across Bengaluru.

Several roads in the central business district (CBD) and beyond witnessed snail-paced vehicular movement Tuesday, especially during the morning and evening peak hours.
Heavy waterlogging at Hunasamaranahalli Junction in Chikkajala, near Yelahanka, affected traffic heading towards Kempegowda International Airport (KIA). The kneedeep waterlogging was so severe that drivers of heavy vehicles like buses and trucks chose not to drive into the waters, opting instead to drive by the side where the water wasn’t too deep. Private cars and cabs followed them, leading to a crawl.

Waterlogged roads and bumper-to-bumper traffic compelled BMTC to cancel the operation of more than 300 buses on Tuesday. Bus services were withdrawn on key routes such as Central Silk Board to Hebbal, Yelahanka to Majestic, Kengeri to Majestic, and other areas. According to a BMTC official, heavy rain and traffic congestion on roads resulted in service disruption on many routes.

More than 3,000 Avadi police personnel including five deputy commissioners of police and two joint commissioners of police will be working round the clock for rescue operations during monsoon. Low-lying areas have been identified and boats, earthmovers and tractors have been kept on standby with rescue teams. Contact 9498181495, 9498181496, 7305735666 for information.

Chennai corporation’s 24x7 control room on Tuesday received 3,650 calls regarding water stagnation and motor pump mobilisation.
Deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, who assessed flood management work at Greater Chennai Corporation’s control room, said waterlogging occurred at 300 spots and was being cleared. The control room, with 150 staff working in four shifts, also monitors 600 locations through live cameras, including Adyar, Cooum, and Kosasthalaiyar river mouths. Officials are sent alerts about canal overflows based on rain sensors fitted along the waterways.
It also has 200 rain sensors to provide live feeds on inundation, while 22 subways are monitored live.

At least eight of 22 subways were closed on Tuesday morning as they were waterlogged. Gengu Reddy, Villivakkam subways and Surapet underpass were reopened in the evening. Perambur railway subway, Ganesapuram subway, Madley subway in T Nagar, Rangarajapuram subway were closed until 9.30pm according to deputy CM. Work is on to reopen it before Wednesday morning.

Tamil Nadu government has declared holiday for schools, colleges, government offices, and private companies in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, and Chengalpattu. Private offices have been advised to engage minimal staff or to allow employees to work from home.

With heavy rains lashing Chennai, many car owners have opted to park their vehicles on flyovers to protect them from potential flooding. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has announced the arrival of the northeast monsoon over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema, southern interior Karnataka, and Kerala starting today.

Moderate to severe thunderstorms and lightning, accompanied by heavy rain, are likely at a few places over Chengalpattu, Chennai, Cuddalore, Kanchipuram, Ranipet, Tiruvallur, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, and Villupuram districts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry till 4 pm.

Amid heavy rainfall in Tamil Nadu, eight flights scheduled to operate to and from Chennai, including routes from Bengaluru, Andaman, New Delhi, and Muscat, have been cancelled, according to an official statement.

After the consistent widespread overnight rainfall in the city and the neighbouring districts of Kancheepuram, Chengelpet and Tiruvallur, the IMD has upgraded the orange alert issued for Tuesday to red alert.