Chennai, Jan 8 (IANS): The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) here has predicted heavy rains in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, and Pudukkottai districts of Tamil Nadu on Saturday,

According to the Weather Department, the rainfall will be triggered by a cyclonic circulation prevailing over north Tamil Nadu and neighbouring areas at 3.1 km above mean sea level.

Another circulation over the southeast Bay of Bengal and the adjoining equatorial Indian Ocean is also expected to contribute to the rains.

Thunderstorms and lightning are likely to occur in isolated places over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal on January 11 and 12.

The RMC also forecast ground frost in isolated pockets over the higher hill ranges of the Nilgiris during the night hours of Wednesday (January 8) and Thursday (January 9).

Meanwhile, Chennai is expected to experience a maximum temperature of 30 degrees Celsius and a minimum temperature of 21 degrees Celsius on January 8 and 9. The city will remain partly cloudy, with mist or haze likely to occur in the morning, the RMC added.

Tamil Nadu recorded 14 per cent excess rainfall during the northeast monsoon season, receiving 447 mm against the average of 393 mm.

Chennai registered 845 mm of rainfall, which is 16 per cent above average, while Coimbatore saw a 47 per cent increase.

Cyclone Fengal, which occurred between November 29 and December 1, 2024, brought intense rains and widespread damage to the state. The cyclone claimed 12 lives and inundated 2,11,139 hectares of land, significantly affecting crops.

It also caused damage to infrastructure, destroying 1,649 kilometres of electric conductors, 23,664 electric poles, 997 transformers, 9,576 kilometres of roads,1,847 culverts, and 417 tanks.

Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai, and Kallakurichi districts recorded over 50 cm of rainfall in a single day, equivalent to an entire season’s average.

Heavy rains during the northeast monsoon increased water inflows into the state’s 90 reservoirs, raising storage levels from 76.46 per cent to 87.14 per cent.

Districts such as Tenkasi, Theni, Virudhunagar, Ariyalur, Trichy, Karur, Pudukottai, and Ramanathapuram also reported significant boosts in water storage levels.

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 Cyclone Fengal damaged several tanks and water bodies in northern districts, particularly in Villupuram.

The Water Resources Department (WRD) has since undertaken temporary repairs to damaged tanks to maximise rainfall capture during the ongoing monsoon season. The disaster caused by Cyclone Fengal severely impacted 69 lakh families and 1.5 crore individuals across Tamil Nadu. The state government estimated relief and reconstruction costs at Rs 2,475 crore. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin requested Rs 2,000 crore as interim relief from the National Disaster Response Fund, and the Central government has sanctioned Rs 944 crore so far.