- IMD forecasts heavy rain and thunderstorms for Tamil Nadu.
- Schools closed in four southern districts due to downpour.
- Low-pressure area over Bay of Bengal causes intense rainfall.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy rainfall across several parts of Tamil Nadu after a low-pressure area formed over the southwest Bay of Bengal. Heavy rains have closed schools in four districts in south Tamil Nadu on Thursday, October 22, while Chennai also saw heavy rain.
Schools will be shut in Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Kanniyakumari and Tenkasi on October 22 owing to heavy rain predicted there. No order to close schools in Chennai has been announced yet.
The capital witnessed intense rainfall overnight, following heavy to very heavy showers that began on Tuesday. The city's MGR Nagar registered the maximum at 15 cm, and many other localities in the vicinity received 10 to 15 cm of rain. The IMD has issued a yellow alert in Chennai.
#WATCH | Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu: Moderate rain continues to lash urban and suburban areas of the city. https://t.co/B1nnfFFds5
— ANI (@ANI) October 22, 2026
Tamil Nadu Weather Forecast
The IMD has issued a warning for isolated places on Thursday that heavy to very heavy rainfall may occur along with thunderstorms, lightning and 40-50 kmph gusty winds at a few locations.
Districts expected to be affected by heavy to very heavy rains include Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, Tenkasi, Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram, Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Coimbatore, the Nilgiris, Sivaganga, Pudukkottai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai. The warning also extends to Karaikal in Puducherry.
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Heavy rains are expected at many places in Tiruchirappalli, Erode, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Cuddalore, Namakkal, Villuppuram, Tiruppur and Karur, and Puducherry. Apart from these places, scattered places in Tamil Nadu will have thundershowers, lightning along with strong gusty winds.
Heavy Rainfall To Hit On 23 October
Rainfall is likely to persist over Tamil Nadu on Friday, October 23, with the IMD saying isolated places in Kanniyakumari, the Nilgiris and Coimbatore will receive heavy to very heavy rain.
Heavy showers are also predicted for Erode, Salem, Namakkal, Karur, Tiruchirappalli, Theni, Tenkasi, Dindigul, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Pudukkottai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Ariyalur, Cuddalore, Villuppuram, Tiruppur and Perambalur. Puducherry and Karaikal are also in the warning.
Other parts of Tamil Nadu are likely to receive moderate rainfall in most places, with lightning and gusty winds of 40-50 kmph at one or two locations.
Schools Closed In Chennai-NCR Districts On Wednesday
On Wednesday, October 21, schools were closed in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Ranipet and Chengalpattu districts due to heavy rainfall. However, no orders announcing school closures in these districts for Thursday had been issued at the time of reporting.
With the IMD forecasting continued rainfall over the next two days, residents have been advised to remain alert to changing weather conditions and official updates.