Drifting depression spares red-alert TN, pounds AP

THOUGH a red alert was issued for Chennai, Tiruvallur and other neighbouring districts on Wednesday, change in the direction of the depression led to a significant drop in rainfall in most places since Wednesday morning.

Later in the day, the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) withdrew the red alert issued to Chennai, Chengalpattu, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts. The drop in rainfall was due to the depression drifting northwest instead of the predicted west-northwest direction, a few weather bloggers said. The change in the direction of the weather system resulted in north Tamil Nadu receiving sparse rainfall and south Andhra Pradesh being pounded by showers, they said.

“But the possibility of very heavy rainfall for north Tamil Nadu cannot be ruled out until the depression makes the expected landfall early on Thursday,” independent weather blogger K Srikanth said.