Abnormal heatwave conditions to persist across Tamil Nadu till July 17; rainfall set to improve later this week
Tamil Nadu is experiencing an intense heatwave driven by weak monsoon circulation and El Niño conditions, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in several districts. The Regional Meteorological Centre expects the heat to persist until July 17 before rainfall improves later in the week.
Why it matters
Prolonged heatwaves pose significant public health risks and impact agricultural stability in the region.
The weak Southwest monsoon circulation, along with El Niño-induced subsidence, is expected to sustain abnormal heatwave conditions over interior Tamil Nadu till Friday (July 17, 2026). The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) has forecast an improvement in rainfall over the State from the second half of the week and ease the prevailing heatwave conditions.
On Wednesday, many places, particularly interior parts of Tamil Nadu, continued to sizzle as the mercury level climbed above 40 degree Celsius. While the mercury levels hit 41.6 degrees Celsius in Vellore, the highest in the State for the day, places like Madurai and Tiruttani too witnessed temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius.
Chennai sweltered under searing heat on Wednesday, as Nungambakkam recorded a maximum temperature of 39.4 degrees Celsius, the highest for July in the city since 2019. The weather station had previously registered a maximum temperature of 40.4 degrees Celsius on July 5, 2019.
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