After bountiful rains, northeast monsoon withdrawal from TN expected from Jan 15

Chennai, Jan 1 (IANS) The weather department will officially announce the withdrawal of northeast monsoon from Tamil Nadu on January 15. The northeast monsoon that commenced on October 1, 2024 has provided copious rains in Tamil Nadu till now.

The Northeast monsoon recorded 33 per cent excess rain with 590 mm of rainfall from October to December.

Officials said that the withdrawal of the monsoon is likely to be announced after January 15.

With 1,179 mm of rainfall in 2024, Tamil Nadu has recorded excess spells throughout the year, with no district recording deficit rainfall, unlike the previous years.

Tirunelveli topped the list with 100 per cent increase. Chennai, too, had a beneficial year, continuing the run for the fifth consecutive year. S. Balachandran, Deputy Director General of Meteorology in a statement said that the easterly wind was more active in the state in 2024, which was one of the reasons for the above-average rainfall.

He said that even though only four cyclones were formed compared to six during the monsoon seasons in the previous year, the state received excess rainfall under the influence of low-pressure areas and depressions prevailed over the sea.

During the northeast and southwest monsoons, Tamil Nadu recorded 33 per cent and 18 per cent excess rainfall, respectively, whereas the overall rainfall has increased by 28 per cent.

The state has witnessed 15th best overall rainfall in 2024 from 1871 and the capital city has received excess rainfall for the fifth consecutive year during the monsoon season.

In 2023, several interior districts recorded deficit rainfall. This stands in stark contrast with 2016 when the monsoon failed, while it was below average in 2017.

However, Tamil Nadu has been receiving excess rainfall during the monsoon seasons since 2020.

Heavy rains since the onset of the Northeast Monsoon (October 1 onwards) have brought Tamil Nadu’s reservoirs close to full capacity.

Water storage levels in the state’s reservoirs are just 12 per cent short of their total capacity of 224.297 thousand million cubic feet (TMC).

The Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department (WRD) reported that 12 reservoirs — three in the Coimbatore region, seven in the Madurai region, and two in the Chennai region — have reached full capacity.

Additionally, storage in 18 reservoirs has exceeded 90 per cent of their total capacity, while 23 reservoirs have water levels between 70 per cent and 80 per cent.

The Stanley Reservoir at Mettur, Tamil Nadu’s largest, currently holds 97.51 per cent of its capacity, amounting to 91.146 TMC out of a total capacity of 93.470 TMC. The dam recorded an inflow of 7,368 cusecs and discharged 1,300 cusecs downstream as of Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Sathanur Reservoir’s water level stands at 117 feet, just below its full reservoir level (FRL) of 119 feet.

The cumulative water storage across Tamil Nadu’s reservoirs is at 195.455 TMC, leaving it 24.824 TMC short of full capacity.

Heavy rains during Northeast Monsoon phase have significantly increased water inflows into the state’s 90 reservoirs, raising storage levels by 10.68 percentage points — from 76.46 per cent to 87.14 per cent.

Downpours in districts such as Tenkasi, Theni, Virudhunagar, Ariyalur, Trichy, Karur, Pudukottai, and Ramanathapuram have further boosted water storage levels.

Cyclone Fengal, which struck on December 1 and 2, brought unprecedented rainfall to several northern districts, rapidly filling tanks and water bodies.

In Tiruvannamalai, 507 out of 697 tanks are now full, along with 359 out of 578 tanks in Tiruvallur, 227 out of 336 tanks in Kallakurichi, and 460 out of 564 tanks in Chengalpattu.

However, floods caused by the cyclone damaged several tanks and water bodies in northern districts, particularly Villupuram.

As a result, water from some tanks had to be released, preventing them from reaching optimal storage levels.

–IANS

aal/rad