A chain of rain-heavy clouds forming part of an easterly wave has been directed away from the Tamil Nadu coast this morning thanks to the presence of a rain-suppressing anti-cyclonic circulation.

Satellite pictures show these clouds being guided in a straight line towards Sri Lanka just to the south. Batticaloa, Kalmunai and Ampara on the East Coast of Sri Lanka are apparently getting a direct hit. Light rain or showers are being reported from these three cities.

Some of the clouds have since drifted to the West and even North-North-West to reach Kanyakumari and Thiruvananthapuram on extreme South Peninsular India.

Thiruvananthapuram will remain mostly cloudy with a thunderstorm being forecast towards the afternoon/evening.

Rainfall record

Meanwhile, eight districts in the Met subdivision of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry have recorded a rainfall excess of 100 per cent or more and one has even exceeded 200 per cent so far during this North-East monsoon season.

These districts are: Kancheepuram (213 per cent); Tiruvallur (176 per cent); Vellore (133 per cent); Chennai (128 per cent); Tirunelveli (125 per cent); Puducherry (113 per cent); Villupuram (111 per cent) and Cudalore (102 per cent).

Chennai and Puducherry remain mostly cloudy in the morning with rain or thundershowers forecast for Puducherry in the evening.

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