Temperatures in Chennai city and the rest of the coastal stations of the State could see a slight increase from May 1 when the Westerly winds start blowing from the hot Rayalaseema region.
Interior areas that are already witnessing above normal temperatures by 2-3 degrees could witness a further increase , the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai, said on Monday. Light to moderate rain have also been forecast till May 2 over isolated places across the State and this could bring down temperatures.
However, this rise in temperature in coastal regions will be brought down by the daily onset of the sea breeze that will bring some respite for the coastal areas, said senior meteorologist Y.E.A. Raj. “Every year, during April-end and the beginning of May, the surface winds will reverse from Easterlies to Westerlies leading to higher temperatures. From October, when the Northeast monsoon sets, the State gets the Easterly winds that blow from the sea. Unhindered solar radiation and lack of summer clouding are two more reasons for the increase in heat over the interior regions. We have had very sparse rainfall in April so far due to lack of thunderstorm activity,” he said.
Mr. Raj also said that coastal stations such as Chennai Nungambakkam, Cuddalore, and Pamban have remained cooler than stations such as Vellore or Madurai or Tiruchi because of the Easterly Sea breeze. “From next month, the time of onset of the sea breeze will be very important as from that point there will be a definite fall in temperature by three to four degrees Celsius and increase in humidity by about 20% to 30%. However, if there is an early onset of the Southwest monsoon as predicted by some models, the winds over Chennai and surroundings too will be the Southwesterlies and the temperature would be closer to the normal range,” he added.
