Chennai rain in pics: Scenes of traffic snarls, flooded streets and chaos

Strong and unexpected rain hit Chennai for about three hours from 6 pm on Wednesday, leading to severe traffic congestion and waterlogged roads.

The city experienced an average of 10cm of rainfall during this period, with Meenambakkam recording 20cm, while the lowest rainfall was around 7.8cm in Manali.

Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur district collectors declared a holiday for schools and Tiruvallur district for colleges on Thursday due to the adverse weather conditions.

Suburban train services on Tambaram and Tiruvallur routes faced cancellations and delays, causing significant inconvenience to commuters for several hours.

Chief Minister MK Stalin directed officials and elected representatives to visit affected areas and initiate relief efforts in response to reports of submerged subways, waterlogged roads, and residential areas.

Major roads witnessed water stagnation, with five of the city's 14 subways getting inundated, leading to traffic disruptions. However, most subways and thoroughfares were cleared of water by 10 pm.

The IMD issued an orange alert for Chennai and neighboring districts, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall over the weekend due to a weather system expected to intensify into a cyclonic storm by December 2.