Chennai, Oct 27 (IANS): An orange alert has been issued for the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu on Friday and Saturday, following the possibility of heavy rains and even very heavy rainfall, the Meteorological Department, Chennai announced on Wednesday.

The orange alert is for the government departments concerned to prepare themselves to handle rain-related issues including possibilities of heavy rains leading to inundating of various places as well as other natural phenomenon associated with "very heavy rains".

The possibility of rainfall touching 11.4 cm to 20.4 cm in one or two places in coastal districts has also been predicted by the IMD.

The IMD has noted the presence of a cyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal and the weather system to likely move towards the Tamil Nadu coast. This would continue for the next three days resulting in heavy rains on October 29 and October 30.

It has predicted heavy rains in Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, Thoothukudi, Mayiladuthurai, and Nagapattinam districts on Thursday and in Karaikal also. On Friday and Saturday, it predicts heavy rains over coastal and south Tamil Nadu and in Puducherry.

Eight districts of Tamil Nadu including Madurai, Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, and Ramanathapuram are expected to get heavy to very heavy rainfalls on Sunday also.