Chennai Weather: Heavy Rains Soak City On Diwali, Paralyse Travel As Roads, Runways Remain Underwater | Watch

Chennai Weather: Heavy rain lashed Chennai on Monday morning amid Diwali celebrations across the city. The intense downpour which has been continuing from the past two days has led to severe waterlogging, causing massive travel issues for the commuters. Traffic remained slower than usual.

The Chennai airport runways were inundated. Velachery, Medavakkam, Pallikaranai, and Neelankarai along the East Coast Road (ECR) were among the areas that were affected the most following the rain spell.

VIDEO | Chennai: Heavy rains lash the city and suburbs including Velachery, Medavakkam, Pallikaranai, and ECR Neelankarai.

(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/8VWUANiE6I

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 20, 2025

Velappanchavadi to Noombal road, Thiruverkadu Municipality !#ChennaiRains Stalin is ready for the rain in AC Room! But Chennai people are not ready to suffer in the roads ! #ChennaiRains2025 pic.twitter.com/9NhbQQvpsw

— ADMK Chennai (@admkchn) October 20, 2025

Residents in low-lying areas of Chennai faced severe waterlogging on Sunday, with flooded streets and overflowing drains reported across several neighbourhoods. In parts of South Chennai, commuters waded through knee-deep water, causing major inconvenience and delays. Intermittent rainfall is expected to persist throughout the day.

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Tamil Nadu Weather Forecast

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated that several districts of Tamil Nadu are likely to witness moderate to heavy rainfall on Diwali and the upcoming few days. The weather department has advised the local authorities to stay on alert as the rainfall is likely to intensify on October 23 and 24.

Light to Moderate rain with Thunderstorm and Lightning is very likely at isolated places over Ariyalur, Chengalpattu, Chennai, Cuddalore, Erode, Kallakurichi, Kancheepuram, Kanniyakumari, Madurai, Mayiladuthurai, Nagappattinam, Perambalur, Pudukkottai, Ramanathapuram, Ranipet, pic.twitter.com/gcW1PcRPwS

— IMD-Tamilnadu Weather (@ChennaiRmc) October 19, 2025

Several districts, including Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga, Pudukkottai, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Thiruvarur, Thanjavur, Chengalpattu, and Villupuram, are likely to witness heavy to very heavy rainfall on Monday.

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Nilgiris Train Services Affected

Train services on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) were cancelled after tracks were blocked between Kallar and Coonoor.

The Southern Railway stated “earth slips” and fallen trees had blocked the route. Trains - including Mettupalayam–Udagamandalam (Train No. 56136 and 06171) and Udagamandalam–Mettupalayam (Train No. 56137) - were suspended on October 19.