Northeast monsoon begins across southern India

The India Meteorological Department said the northeast monsoon began over Tamil Nadu and several other southern regions on October 15, bringing a forecast of widespread rain and isolated heavy downpours over the coming days. The agency said rainfall associated with the monsoon had commenced over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Kerala, Mahe and parts of Karnataka. Its forecasts call for continued wet weather across the region, with the timing and intensity varying by state and district. Forecasts describe expected conditions and do not confirm how much rain ultimately fell. The Regional Meteorological Centre forecast rain across Tamil Nadu through October 20. It warned of heavy to very heavy rain in isolated areas on October 15, and forecast heavy rain in Chennai and several other districts on October 16. A later outlook from the India Meteorological Department said isolated heavy rain could affect parts of Tamil Nadu through October 22. The department also forecast isolated heavy rain in parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and South Interior Karnataka on October 17. Its broader outlook included rain across Puducherry, Karaikal and other southern areas, with thunderstorms, lightning...