An expert committee has predicted that Tamil Nadu will experience excess rainfall and flooding during the 2026 north-east monsoon, followed by a year of deficient rainfall in 2027, potentially leading to water scarcity. The committee has urged the Chief Minister's Office to begin preparations for these climate extremes, with a focus on immediate flood preparedness for southern peninsular regions. Drones are highlighted as a key tool for surveillance and rescue operations.

An expert committee has predicted that Tamil Nadu will experience excess rainfall and flooding during the 2026 north-east monsoon, followed by a year of deficient rainfall in 2027, potentially leading to water scarcity. The committee has urged the Chief Minister's Office to begin preparations for these climate extremes, with a focus on immediate flood preparedness for southern peninsular regions. Drones are highlighted as a key tool for surveillance and rescue operations.

An expert committee has predicted that Tamil Nadu will experience excess rainfall and flooding during the 2026 north-east monsoon, followed by a year of deficient rainfall in 2027, potentially leading to water scarcity. The committee has urged the Chief Minister's Office to begin preparations for these climate extremes, with a focus on immediate flood preparedness for southern peninsular regions. Drones are highlighted as a key tool for surveillance and rescue operations.

Tamil Nadu is likely to witness excess rainfall and flooding during the 2026 north-east monsoon, an expert committee reportedly constituted by the state government has found. This is to be followed by a year of deficient rainfall, which may cause water scarcity, the expert panel entrusted to assess the impact of the Super El Niño added.

According to local media reports, the expert committee has already asked the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) to start preparations for both extremities. However, flood preparedness requires immediate attention, as southern peninsular Tamil Nadu may witness flooding due to heavy rainfall between October and December. The use of drones for surveillance, search and rescue operations, and rapid damage assessment received a special mention in the report, news articles said.

The committee was headed by Dr Sivananda Pai, the chief of IMD's Chennai Regional Meteorological Centre, DT Next said in a report. Both urban and riverine flooding are realistic possibilities in the state when the north-east monsoon strikes, the report warned.

However, the rainfall is not going to be uniform across Tamil Nadu, and thus government machinery should be prepared to face all eventualities. While one area receives heavy rainfall, another could be facing a shortage at the same time. Even if Tamil Nadu as a whole receives normal or above-normal rainfall, some regions could still face water scarcity as a consequence of getting little rainfall compared to other areas, it warned.

Harsh summer awaits Tamil Nadu in 2027

A severe heatwave is likely during next year's summer. There must be awareness initiatives, and necessary steps, including uniform relaxations, should be considered, it said.

The committee reportedly wants the state government to continuously monitor changing El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions and seasonal forecasts while holding periodically review its readiness to handle climate emergencies and natural disasters.

The panel also included Prof Dr S Kanmani, Director, Centre for Climate Change and Disaster Management (CCCDM), Dr Balaji Narasimhan, Professor, Hydraulics and Water Resources Engineering Laboratory IIT Madras, Prof Dr Ramesh Ramachandran, Dr R Venkatesan, Member, Marine Technology Society, Dr JK Patterson Edward, Director, Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute (SMRI) and R Pradeep John popularly known on social media as Tamilnadu weatherman, besides chairman Dr Sivananda Pai, said DT Next.

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