Weather
Chennai, Bengaluru see overcast skies and drizzle as monsoon continues
Chennai and Bengaluru are experiencing overcast skies with drizzle today, as the southwest monsoon continues to bring rain to South India.
Chennai is expected to see overcast skies with drizzle today, with a high temperature of around 36 degrees Celsius, as the southwest monsoon continues to bring rain across South India.
Bengaluru is forecast to experience similar conditions, with overcast skies and moderate drizzle through the day, and a comparatively cooler high of around 29 degrees Celsius.
The rain in both cities comes as part of a broader weather system that has also brought heavy rainfall warnings to several northern and eastern states over the same period.
The current spell of rain over South India comes alongside the wider IMD warning system, which has flagged heavy to very heavy rainfall for around 20 states nationwide over the same period.
Residents in both cities have been advised to carry rain gear and allow extra travel time, particularly during the evening commute when localised waterlogging can occur at low-lying junctions.
The IMD typically issues updated city-level forecasts through the day, with conditions in coastal cities like Chennai able to shift quickly depending on the movement of the wider monsoon trough.
Moderate, intermittent rainfall of the kind forecast for Chennai and Bengaluru today is generally considered beneficial for standing crops in the surrounding agricultural belts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Both cities have municipal drainage systems that come under increased strain during sustained monsoon spells, a recurring seasonal concern for civic authorities in South India.
The southwest monsoon typically remains active over South India through September before gradually withdrawing, meaning further rounds of rain are likely across Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in the coming weeks.
Chennai in particular has a history of severe flooding during intense monsoon spells, most notably in 2015, which has kept drainage infrastructure a persistent point of civic focus in the city.
Bengaluru’s drizzle today follows a similar seasonal pattern, with the city’s own history of localised flooding around its numerous lakes and low-lying tech corridors making monsoon preparedness an annual civic priority.
Photo by Karthikeyan321, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0