Weather updates: The Regional Meteorological Center (RMC) has issued an orange alert in many districts of Tamil Nadu till October 18. In a statement released on Sunday, the RMC predicted 204 mm of rainfall in the southern state during this period.

Following the forecast of rain, the Tamil Nadu Disaster Management Authority has made all preparations for any eventuality and has already put 65,000 volunteers on alert. Volunteers will be available for rescue and relief operations alongside state government agencies.

According to the Greater Chennai Corporation authorities, 10,000 volunteers will be available in Chennai alone.

According to the RMC, heavy showers are likely in several districts of the state, including Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Dindigul, Theni, Virudhunagar, Pudukottai, Sivaganga, Madurai and Ramanathapuram, from Sunday.

The meteorological department also said that a low pressure system over the Arabian Sea was developing into a cyclonic storm.

According to the RMC, Tamil Nadu is likely to experience widespread rains from Sunday. Heavy to very heavy showers are forecast in Delta districts of Tamil Nadu from Monday, October 14. Northern Tamil Nadu districts including Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Cuddalore may experience heavy to very heavy rains.

The Tamil Nadu disaster management team is on high alert and monitoring teams are ready to monitor power outages and other electricity-related issues.

Two dominant weather systems in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal pushed moisture into the region.

The RMC predicts that most parts of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal will experience heavy to very heavy rains till October 16. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that the northeast monsoon is expected to set in around October 17.

A high-level meeting of ministers and officials was held last week, chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin. The meeting discussed immediate measures, including rescue operations in case of heavy rains.

(With IANS entries)