October 2026
This Month in Chennai
October 2026 opened with Purattasi, Navaratri, and the first Yellow Line trains, and it is closing in the rain. The northeast monsoon set in on Thursday 15 October, put more than 30 cm on north Chennai over its first weekend, and was back on Tuesday night, closing schools in Chennai and four neighbouring districts on Wednesday 21 October. By then the city had already had more than a normal October's rain. A system in the Bay of Bengal is expected to become Cyclone Arnab by Monday 26 October, but it is forecast to head for Andhra Pradesh and Odisha rather than Chennai, and the rain here should ease later next week. Women now ride free on many more of the city's buses, dengue cases are climbing with the rains, and Deepavali follows on Sunday 8 November, so T. Nagar gets busier with every weekend from here.
Updated 24 October 2026 · Refreshed every month, bookmark this page
The Big Stories
A wet weekend, and a cyclone forming out in the Bay
The northeast monsoon set in on Thursday 15 October, and by the 21st Chennai had already had a normal October's rain, with 349 mm at Nungambakkam and 321 mm at Meenambakkam against a monthly normal of 300 mm. Two spells did most of it. Over the weekend of 17 and 18 October Parry's Corner recorded 36 cm in 24 hours, and on the night of Tuesday 20 October Vadapalani had 133 mm and boats were sent into AGS Colony in Velachery to bring stranded residents out. The reservoirs reached about 37% of capacity by 19 October, up from about a third the week before. This weekend brings more. The Regional Meteorological Centre forecasts moderate to heavy rain in Chennai on Saturday 24 October and heavy to very heavy rain in places across Chennai, Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu, and Kancheepuram on Sunday 25 October. Out in the Bay, the India Meteorological Department expects a low over the east-central Bay of Bengal to become a depression on Saturday, a deep depression on Sunday, and a cyclonic storm by Monday morning, when it would take the name Arnab, contributed by Bangladesh. It is forecast to move west-northwest, with its heaviest rain on the Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coasts from 27 to 29 October, and the rain over Tamil Nadu is expected to ease later next week. Keep away from flooded streets, subways, transformers, and pillar boxes, and report waterlogging, fallen trees, or stranded families on the Corporation helpline, 1913.
Read the monsoon preparedness guide →
DeepavaliDeepavali is on Sunday 8 November, and the rush is on
With Navaratri over, the city has turned to Deepavali, which falls on Sunday 8 November. T. Nagar and Pondy Bazaar get busier with every weekend from here, and the last two, 31 October and 7 November, are the most crowded shopping days of the year, so go on a weekday morning if you can, and on a dry one. The state has not yet announced this year's cracker hours. Last year bursting was allowed only from 6 to 7 am and from 7 to 8 pm on the day, with green crackers only, and the 2026 notice is expected before the festival.
Read the Deepavali guide →
TravelGoing home for Deepavali? 9,086 extra bus trips from 5 to 7 November
The Ayudha Pooja rush showed what to expect. Between Thursday 15 and Saturday 17 October the transport department counted 4.15 lakh passengers leaving Chennai on 9,571 bus services, 2,998 of them specials. For Deepavali the department plans 9,086 extra trips from Thursday 5 to Saturday 7 November, on top of the regular services, using the same temporary terminals. Kilambakkam stays the main hub for Puducherry, Cuddalore, Chidambaram, Trichy, Madurai, Thoothukudi, Sengottai, Tirunelveli, Salem, and Coimbatore. The CMDA climate park stand near Kilambakkam takes Tiruvannamalai and Vandavasi, and Maraimalai Nagar takes Kumbakonam, Thanjavur, and Nagapattinam, with free MTC shuttles from Kilambakkam. Koyambedu handles the East Coast Road, Kanchipuram, Bengaluru, and Tiruttani, and Madhavaram the buses to Andhra Pradesh via Ponneri. Bookings are open on tnstc.in and the TNSTC app, and transport officials are checking private omnibus fares, which tend to spike over festival weekends.
See the Chennai bus guide →
CinemaSuriya, Nayanthara, and Vijay Antony films open for Deepavali
Jailer 2 is still drawing big crowds in its second week, and the next wave of Tamil films lands together for Deepavali. Suriya's Scene, directed by Jithu Madhavan of Aavesham, Nayanthara's Mookuthi Amman 2 for Sundar C, and Vijay Antony's Appa Kutty all open on Friday 6 November, with Prabhu Deva and A. R. Rahman's dance musical Moonwalk aiming for the same week and the Hindi Ramayana a day earlier. Our new cinema page lists what opened this Friday, what is still showing, and what is coming next, and it is refreshed every Friday.
See what is new in cinemas →
MetroThe Yellow Line is open, Poonamallee to Vadapalani
The first section of Metro Phase 2 opened on Sunday 11 October, when the Prime Minister flagged it off at Poonamallee and rode the train with the Chief Minister. Passenger services began at 4 pm that afternoon, and 25,474 people rode in the first five hours. The 14.6 km elevated line runs from Poonamallee Bypass to Vadapalani via Porur with eleven stations open, and trains run through the six unfinished stations between Porur Junction and Vadapalani without stopping until those are ready. Trains run daily from 7 am to 9 pm, and the last trains leave both ends at 9 pm. On weekdays and Saturdays they come every 10 minutes from 8 to 11 am and from 5 to 8 pm, and every 15 minutes at other times. On Sundays and public holidays they run every 15 minutes all day. Fares are ₹10 to ₹40 along the line and no more than ₹50 if you change to the Green Line at Vadapalani, with 20% off on the Singara Chennai card and app or WhatsApp QR tickets. The hours are shorter than on the Blue and Green Lines, so check the CMRL app before a late journey.
Read the Phase 2 guide →
TransportWomen now ride free on express and deluxe buses too
Since 2 October, the state's Vetri Payanam scheme lets women and transgender passengers travel free on MTC express, LSS (limited stop), and deluxe buses in Chennai, not just the ordinary buses that were already free. The Chief Minister launched the expansion at the Koyambedu and Ambattur depots on Gandhi Jayanti. It also covers ordinary suburban buses that run between districts, and across Tamil Nadu 12,692 buses from seven state transport corporations are now in the scheme.
See the Chennai bus guide →
HealthDengue is still climbing, so tip out the standing water
Dengue infections within Corporation limits more than doubled in September, to 1,293 cases against 605 in August, and by 4 October the city had logged 4,592 cases this year, with no deaths. The count is still rising. Chennai recorded 70 new cases on 22 October, and the Health Minister says the state's total for the year has passed 25,000, with ten deaths. The rains are adding breeding water by the day. The Corporation has about 3,700 breeding checkers going house to house and is spraying larvicide by drone along the Cooum, the Adyar, and the Buckingham Canal. At home, empty flower-pot trays, coolers, and anything else that collects water every few days, keep stored water covered, and see a doctor for any high or lingering fever. Doctors warn that the most dangerous phase of dengue can begin just as the fever drops.
Find hospitals and clinics near you →
WeatherAippasi rain has arrived
The first half of October was warm and sticky, around 25 to 32 degrees, with the odd evening thunderstorm. Aippasi, which began on 18 October, is the month the Tamil saying "Aippasi adai mazhai" names for unbroken rain, and so far it has lived up to it. Expect heavy spells that can flood low-lying roads for a day or two, with fresh, cooler days in between. Carry an umbrella everywhere and keep waterproof footwear by the door.
See the weather guide →
Weather Snapshot
Rain arrives. Temperatures drop noticeably. The city feels fresh and green between rain spells.
Festivals & Observances
Navaratri
September/October (9 nights)Nine nights of Golu doll displays, Carnatic music, and temple alankarams, closing with Saraswathi Puja, Ayudha Puja, and Vijayadasami. In 2026 it ran from 11 to 20 October, and in 2027 it falls from 30 September to 9 October.
Deepavali
October/November (varies)The biggest pan-Indian festival. New clothes, sweets, oil baths at dawn, firecrackers. Shopping peaks in T. Nagar weeks before.
Things to Do This Month
- Go Golu hopping in Mylapore and West Mambalam in the years Navaratri falls in October
- Deepavali shopping in T. Nagar and Pondy Bazaar (arrive early to beat crowds)
- Experience Deepavali morning in a Chennai neighbourhood
- Visit temples decorated for Deepavali
- Enjoy rain-washed walks in Besant Nagar or Adyar after a spell
- Visit Semmozhi Poonga (lush and green after rain)
- Try monsoon-season snacks: bajji, bonda, filter coffee
Coming Up in November
- Deepavali on Sunday 8 November, with the dawn oil bath, new clothes, sweets, and crackers
- Kanda Sashti from 10 November, ending with Soorasamharam on 15 November at Murugan temples such as Vadapalani
- Karthigai Deepam on 24 November, when homes and temples are lit with rows of oil lamps
- The wettest month of the year, with the northeast monsoon at full strength and a flooding risk in low-lying areas
- Sabhas start announcing their Margazhi season schedules ahead of the mid-December opening