The coastal districts of Tamil Nadu received widespread rainfall upto a maximum of 12 cms rainfall on Friday. Rains continued to lash the coastal areas since late afternoon on Friday. The Regional Met Department has said that the trough of low pressure at the Southwest Bay of Bengal continued to stay between Srilanka and Tamilnadu.The weather bulletin has predicted heavy rainfall in Chennai, Cuddalore, Vellore, Thoothukudi, Tiruvarur, Kanyakumari, Kanchipuram, Nagapattinam and Villupuram for the next 24 hours. Fishermen have been warned of strong on shorewinds along and off the Coast. Local holiday has been declared in Chennai,Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur and many coastal districts. District authorities are on vigil to prevent untoward incidents due to electricity.Continuous downpour since late afternoon today gave a difficult time for the public to reach their respective homes. Anxious passengers in overflowing buses stuck their heads out tried to figure out the end of the line but of no use. District authorities have geared up to face the monsoon season and have made arrangements to clear water stagnation in low lying areas. The Chennai Corporation has also made enough arrangements for shelter and food in low lying areas of the city in case of emergency.