Heavy rain forces school closures across Tamil Nadu as storm deepens

Heavy rain across Tamil Nadu on Monday forced schools to shut in several districts. The Regional Meteorological Centre recorded 11.4 cm at Pamban by 5.30 a.m., followed by 8 cm in Coimbatore. Nilgiris' HRS Vijayanagaram and Palani each logged 7 cm, while Vedasandur in Dindigul measured 6 cm. Districts such as Tiruvallur, Nagapattinam, Thoothukudi, Tiruchi, Madurai and Kanniyakumari also saw rain, though amounts were not listed. The India Meteorological Department said a low‑pressure system over the Bay of Bengal moved southwest in the last six hours and grew into a deep depression. Forecasts indicate the system could reach the Andhra Pradesh coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam as a very severe cyclonic storm, with winds expected at 115‑125 km per hour. Dindigul District Collector Durga Moorthy announced that all schools would remain closed on Monday. Coimbatore Collector Pawankumar issued the same order for his district. Nilgiris Collector Lakshmi Bhavya Tanneeru said schools in the Udhamandalam, Coonnoor, Kotagiri and Kundah taluks would stay shut. Theni Collector Sivakrishnamurthy confirmed closures in the Periyakulam block. The closures affect thousands of students and aim to keep them safe as the weather worsens. ## Context Depressions forming in the Bay of Bengal often deepen before turning into cyclones that bring strong winds and heavy rain to India's east coast. Such systems can disrupt daily life, especially school schedules, in affected states.