“Extreme rainfall in southern India has killed nearly 270 people and displaced about a million more, as flooding causes major problems in the state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu and fourth-most-populous city in India, experienced its wettest December day in over a century this week, according to AccuWeather. That follows a November that brought the city 300 percent more rain than is usual for the month. Monsoon winds typically bring rainfall to Chennai during October, November, and December, but rainfall this year has been exceptional — the city and surrounding region has gotten more than 11 inches of rainfall over the last several days, which, as the LA Times reports, is about 75 percent of the average for the whole monsoon season.
“The rain has been abnormal. People have not seen this rain in their lifetime,” Jomey Joseph, head of the Chennai office of Catholic Relief Services, told TIME. Weather experts have said that this year, a strong El Niño ramped up the monsoon rains in India. And multiple outlets have pointed out that illegal construction and inadequate planning have left Chennai unprepared for deluges like this.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/12/04/3728251/chennai-flooding/