<span style="color: #222222;">The well-marked low pressure area in the Bay of Bengal concentrated into a depression and moved 310 kilomtres off Chennai Coast this morning. The Met Department said that it is likely to move west north westwards and cross North Tamil Nadu and adjoining South Andhra Pradesh Coasts by early morning tomorrow.<br />'' <br />'' The red alert has been extended to nine districts. Widespread heavy rains alert has been given to all the coastal districts. Some areas of Tiruppur witnessed more than 20 centimetres of rain yesterday night. Normal life has been thrown out of gear in rainy districts. Continuous downpour in rainy districts has registered a rise in lakes, rivers, reservoirs and ponds have reached danger levels. The Government has warned the general public to avoid visiting beaches and water bodies. Water has been released from reservoirs to prevent eventualities. People living in the banks have been moved to safer places.<br />''<br />''Due to the depression, a red alert depicting extremely heavy rainfall  has been extended to sixteen districts in the state. Port warning Signal No 3 has been hoisted at Ennore, Nagapattinam and Cuddalore ports and Warning Signal No 1 has been hoisted at Tuticorin and Pamban Ports. Almost all the districts are likely to experience moderate to very heavy rainfalls. District Administrations have been alerted on account of widespread heavy rains to tackle the challenges . In the past 24 hours,  some areas of Tiruppur have witnessed more than 20 cms of rain. Continuous downpour in rainy districts has thrown normal life out of gear. The Government has warned the general public to avoid visiting beaches and water bodies where Water has been released to prevent eventualities. People living in the banks have been moved to safer places. Chennai and the suburban area has been receiving heavy rains intermittently. The beautiful Marina is boisterous with winds and heavy downpour. As fishing activity has been suspended the entire shore looks deserted.</span>