Chennai: On behalf of the Chennai Meteorological Centre, the inaugural ceremony of the “Seasonal Outlook Forum for the Northeast Monsoon - 2026” was held yesterday at the National Institute of Ocean Technology in Chennai.
Tamil Nadu Revenue Administration Commissioner P. Chandramohan, who participated and spoke, said: The State Disaster Management Department currently has 1,400 automatic rain gauges and 100 automatic weather stations. In addition, it is planned to install 1,000 automatic rain gauges this year. During the northeast monsoon, the Tamil Nadu Disaster and Risk Reduction Agency has identified 1,030 highly and very highly vulnerable locations, where water is expected to accumulate to a depth of 2 to 6 feet, as well as 1,003 moderately vulnerable locations.
Flood mitigation and recovery plans have been prepared for every location. For Chennai city, it has also been planned to provide street-level flood warnings three days in advance through the Integrated Flood Management Centre. He said this.
Continuing at the event, Indian Meteorological Department Chairman Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said, “After the southwest monsoon withdraws, the northeast monsoon is likely to begin in the third week of this month, between the 15th and 21st. In the southern districts of Tamil Nadu, rainfall may range from normal to above normal, while the remaining districts may receive below-normal rainfall,” he said.
In this event, the Southern Regional Head of the Meteorological Department, T. Sivananda Pai, Director of the National Institute of Ocean Technology Balaji Ramakrishnan, Head of the Climate Monitoring and Forecasting Division of the Pune Meteorological Department O.P. Sreejith, and Chennai Meteorological Department Director R.V. Durai, among others, participated.
Low-pressure system: Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department said in a statement, “An upper-air cyclonic circulation is likely to form over the northern Andaman Sea on the 12th, and under its influence, a new low-pressure area is likely to form over the Andaman Sea on the 13th. There is only a low chance of it intensifying into a low-pressure system on the 15th.”