Heavy rain batters Chennai, downpour in Bengaluru affects Ind vs New Zealand Test match

As rains continue to batter Southern India, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow alert for heavy rainfall in Chennai and Bengaluru for Saturday (October 19). Visuals from the city show incessant rainfall leading to water-logging on roads. People use a boat on a flooded street to reach a safer place during heavy rains in Chennai on Wednesday. (AP)

Bengaluru, on the other hand, woke up to a foggy morning on Saturday, giving the city a refreshing hill-station feel. The temperature currently stands at 23°C, with forecasts predicting a minimum of 20.49°C and a maximum of 26.67°C later in the day.

Fresh spell of rain in Chennai

Earlier, several areas of Chennai recorded extremely heavy rainfall until 8:30 a.m. on Thursday. Kathivakkam and Manali registered 23 cm and 21 cm of rainfall, respectively, while Cholavaram recorded 30 cm, Red Hills 28 cm, and Avadi 25 cm.

An orange alert has been issued for several Tamil Nadu districts, including Thiruvallur, Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Villupuram, Kallakkurichi, Thiruvannamalai, Ranipettai, Vellore, Tiruppattur, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Thiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukottai, Sivagangai, Ramanathapuram, Madurai, and Kanyakumari, as well as Puducherry.

Tamil Nadu rains: Stalin govt vs AIADMK over flood mitigation

After heavy rains lashed parts of Tamil Nadu leading to a flood-like situation, the main opposition AIADMK targeted the MK Stalin-led DMK government over flood mitigation initiatives.

Chief Minister MK Stalin said it was only an attempt to politicize the issue and asserted that the government is prepared to tackle any amount of rainfall.

Bengaluru rains

As per the weather department, Bengaluru is set to receive a week of heavy rainfall, and an alert has already been issued for the city on Saturday.

The forecast indicated that this wet weather will persist until October 24, with maximum temperatures hovering around 28 degrees Celsius and minimum temperatures settling near 20 degrees Celsius.

As of 3 PM, drizzles have been reported in Whitefield, Kalyan Nagar, Jayanagar, and Padmanabhanagar.

Bengaluru rains hamper Ind vs NZ cricket match

The Bengaluru rains affected the opening Test match between India and New Zealand again on Day 4, hurting the hosts' chances for a miraculous turnaround in Bengaluru. However, after a short lag, the play resumed at 4 pm on Saturday. But there is a chance that the game gets hampered by rain once again.

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