You don’t have any Active Subscription.

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one.

Your active subscription(s)

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

Products you've access to

Additional Subscription Benefits

Need help with your subscription?

Updated - October 21, 2026 10:19 am IST

Several places in and around Chennai received heavy rainfall till 6 a.m. on Wednesday (October 21), according to Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) data. | Photo Credit: The Hindu

Schools in five districts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, will remain closed on Wednesday (October 21, 2026), owing to heavy rain, according to district authorities. The Collectors of Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, and Chengalpattu districts have declared a holiday for schools, while a similar order has been issued in Ranipet district due to rain.

Several places in and around Chennai received heavy rainfall till 6 a.m. on Wednesday (October 21), according to Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) data. The weather stations in Meenambakkam and Nungambakkam recorded 12 cm and 11 cm of rainfall respectively, followed by Taramani (10 cm) Madhavaram (9 cm), Villivakkam and Nandanam (8 cm).

Minister for Rural Development and Water Resources N. Anand inspected areas affected by waterlogging due to heavy rains in his T. Nagar Assembly constituency. He also instructed officials to swiftly drain the stagnant water using motor pumps. He said the ongoing Metro Rail works had led to water stagnation in several parts of T. Nagar.

Follow LIVE updates here

The Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, in a nowcast issued at 10 a.m. on Wednesday (October 21, 2026), warned of light to moderate rain with thunderstorm and lightning, likely at isolated places across 24 Tamil Nadu districts, as well as Karaikal and Puducherry, until 1 p.m. the same day. It said waterlogging, slippery roads and traffic disruption were likely in some areas.

The IMD said that heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to continue over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal until October 26, 2026, due to a likely Low Pressure Area forming over the southwest Bay of Bengal and the adjoining Tamil Nadu coast.

Isolated heavy rain is also likely over Kerala and Mahe (October 20-26), South Interior Karnataka (October 21-24), and Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam and Rayalaseema (October 20-21).

Schools in five districts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, will remain closed on Wednesday (October 21, 2026), owing to heavy rain, according to district authorities.

The Collectors of Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, and Chengalpattu districts have declared a holiday for schools, while a similar order has been issued in Ranipet district due to rain.

Minister for Rural Development and Water Resources N. Anand inspected waterlogged areas in his T. Nagar Assembly constituency, instructing officials to swiftly drain stagnant water using motor pumps. He said ongoing Metro Rail works had caused water stagnation in several parts of T. Nagar.

Published - October 21, 2026 10:10 am IST

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.