Summer of ’23 will possibly be etched in the memories of Chennai citizens as firmly as Summer of ’69 remains in the memories of rock fans. The couple of years coinciding with the Covid pandemic saw a relatively below par summer for Chennai leading widespread talk about the pandemic induced reduction in commercial activity reducing the overall temperatures which ignoring the modulating effect La Nina was playing on global temperatures. Come 2023 the slow shift back to warm regime in the form of La Nina evolving into a El Nino brought back summer with a bang over Chennai and suburbs.
While summer showed up its face during the second half of May, it was the first fortnight of June that saw the real summer turn up over Chennai and suburbs. Since the 1st of June the max temperature at Chennai Nungambakkam has been 40°C or more every day except on 4th and 7th June when it recorded a max of 39.6°C and 37.9°C respectively. Similarly Chennai AP recorded 40°C or more on all days except 4th, 7th and 11th June when the temperatures dipped slightly below 40°C. The good news though Summer for Chennai is effectively going to be brought to a halt by a developing circulation in Bay of Bengal off the coast of Tamil Nadu. While question marks remain on whether we have seen the last 40°C for the year it is fair to say at least we have seen the last 40°C for the month of June. Weather models though indicate today could be one last day when Chennai and suburbs touch 40°C though possibly partly cloudy skies under the influence of the circulation.
Starting today for the next 5 to 7 days this circulation in South Bay could not only turn out to be a savior from the heat but also give some much needed rains as well over many parts of Tamil Nadu. In particular tomorrow and Monday promises to be days when fairly widespread thunderstorm activity could be expected over North Tamil Nadu as the circulation comes closer to the coast creating atmospheric instability after some convective development during the early part of the day.
While chance exists for rains every day, real time wind convergence and interaction between Westerlies and sea breeze could mean some areas may or may not receive rains on a particular day but overall the next 5 days or so promises to be a good period of rains for North Tamil Nadu including Chennai and suburbs. Overall the districts of Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu, Kallakurichi and Cuddalore may be the biggest beneficiaries along with some of the southern suburbs of Chennai.
It is in this context today’s post winds up with this Thirukural couplet.
கெடுப்பதூஉம் கெட்டார்க்குச் சார்வாய்மற் றாங்கே
அதிகாரம் : வான்சிறப்பு
எடுப்பதூஉம் எல்லாம் மழை
“பெய்யாமல் வாழ்வைக் கெடுக்க வல்லதும் மழை; மழையில்லாமல் வளம் கெட்டு நொந்தவர்க்கும் துணையாய் அவ்வாறே காக்க வல்லதும் மழையாகும்” – மு.வ
Rain by its absence ruins men; and by its existence restores them to fortune