Severe Weather Alert: Heavy Rains to Persist in TN, Kerala & Andhra till May 1

A north-to-south directed trough is currently running through interior South India, according to the Weather Channel's met team. And, as per the IMD, this system will bring light scattered to widespread rains, thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds to Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Interior Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Kerala, and Mahe over the next four days (April 28-May 1).

Heavy rain (65 mm per day) is also expected in isolated areas of Kerala from Friday to Monday (April 28-May 1), as well as in North Interior Karnataka, Telangana, and Coastal Andhra Pradesh on Friday(April 28), and South Interior Karnataka and Rayalaseema between Saturday & Monday (April 29-May 1).

Furthermore, scattered hailstorms are expected in Telangana and North Interior Karnataka on Friday. This type of hailstorm is typical when raindrops are carried upward into extremely cold portions of the atmosphere. They freeze as a result, and when updrafts can no longer support their weight, they fall as hail.

Due to the inclement weather, the IMD has issued a yellow watch (meaning 'be updated') for the predicted period for Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana. Today, only Telangana will remain on orange alert (which means 'be prepared').

The region's largest cities, Chennai and Hyderabad, will see rain and thundershowers throughout the following few days. During the projected period, Bengaluru, Kochi, Amravati, Thiruvananthapuram, and Visakhapatnam are anticipated to see mostly cloudy sky with one or two periods of rain or thundershowers.

While the continuous rain may appear to be endless, the southern states have yet to make up on their monthly rainfall totals. Tamil Nadu (27.6 mm) and Telangana (16.3 mm) had 'normal' precipitation between April 1 and 25, with the former falling short by 14% and the latter witnessing a very tiny excess of 2% in compared to their respective long-term averages.

On the other hand, Kerala (32 mm) and Karnataka (12.2 mm) have had 'deficient' rainfall this month, with deficits of 62% and 55%, respectively. Andhra Pradesh (21.3 mm), the only southern state with 'extra' precipitation so far this month, has accumulated a 21% surplus.