The city may get some relief from the searing heat by the weekend. A weather system, likely to develop over the Bay of Bengal, may be the reason. However, heatwave conditions may persist on Thursday as well.
While Chennai is waiting for a break from the long dry spell this year, officials of the Meteorological Department said chances of rainfall are slim for the next two days. The city has recorded more than 10 hot days so far this month, where the day temperature has crossed 40 degrees Celsius.
On Wednesday, Chennai recorded a maximum temperature of 42.1 degrees Celsius. The prevailing westerly and northwesterly winds have led to a spike in temperature.
N. Puviarasan, director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre, said a low-pressure area is likely to develop over north Bay of Bengal in the next two or three days. This will help change the wind direction to southwesterly and control the peaking temperature, he said. Southwesterly winds will allow penetration of the sea breeze and may bring convective rains, he added.
The weather system will bring rainfall to Andhra Pradesh and Odisha as well. But it will have an indirect impact on soaring temperatures . There may not be significant rainfall in Chennai for the next two days, he said.
Light rainfall
Chennai experienced an all-time high temperature of 43.3 degrees Celsius on June 3, 1948.
The Meteorological Department has also forecast light rainfall on Thursday in places like Coimbatore, the Nilgiris, Theni and Dindigul. Chennai may have cloudy skies and the maximum temperature will be around 41 degrees Celsius till Friday.
