Chennai
India
Chennai is projected to face significant climate hazards that will heighten its vulnerabilities. The city will experience extreme heat and dangerous heat extremes, posing serious health risks. Heavy rainfall events are anticipated to lead to flooding, while prolonged drought conditions will exacerbate water scarcity. Furthermore, there is a projected increase in arbovirus transmission risks, which elevates malaria risks and other public health concerns. These climate risks highlight the urgent need for strategies to address the dual challenges of heat and water management, as well as the health implications related to climate change. Chennai’s future climate landscape necessitates focused attention to enhance resilience against these mounting threats.
Hazard Outlook
How will Chennai's projected climate hazards compare to other cities under a 3.0°C future warming scenario?
Maximum Temperature
Chennai's projected maximum temperature of 10.7°C is among the highest of all cities globally under a 3.0°C warming scenario.
Maximum Rainfall
Chennai's projected maximum rainfall of 15 mm is among the highest of all cities globally.
Elevation
At 12 m elevation, Chennai faces high risk from coastal flooding and sea level rise.
Longest Heatwave
Chennai may experience heatwaves lasting up to 6 days, higher than most other cities.
Heavy Rainfall Days
With 10 days of heavy rainfall expected, Chennai ranks near the median of cities for extreme precipitation events.
Exposure Summary
Adaptation Priorities
Chennai faces high exposure to max temp, max rain, elevation and elevated exposure to heatwave. These areas may warrant priority attention in adaptation planning.
Data source: Climate projections from the IPCC AR6 scenario analysis. See our methodology for details on how we process and interpret this data.
Deployed Solutions
Deployed climate adaptation technologies identified in Chennai.
No solutions have been documented for Chennai.
This is an archived snapshot of the database.
Recommended Solutions
Proven solutions from similar cities that could help diversify Chennai's resilience portfolio
Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS)
76%Bengaluru plans to procure 13 new Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) and transition existing manual stations to CAAQMS systems by 2035.
Air Quality Hotspot Forecasting and Early Warning System
74%Mumbai is implementing an air pollution hotspot-based forecasting system designed to provide ward and zonal-level air quality predictions across the metropolitan region.
Integrated Air Quality Monitoring and Forecasting Network
74%This air quality monitoring and forecasting approach integrates data from multiple monitoring networks operated by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) to conduct trend analysis of pollutant concentrations across Mumbai.
Urban Greening and Heat Island Monitoring Dashboard
74%The city dashboard initiative enables municipal authorities to access and monitor information regarding urban greening and heat island effects at both city and ward levels.
Mumbai Automated Weather Station Network for Rainfall Monitoring
74%Decadal rainfall data from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's Automated Weather Stations reiterates the increasing frequency of very heavy and extremely heavy rainfall events in Mumbai.
Aquifer Mapping Integration for Groundwater Governance
77%The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is integrating comprehensive aquifer mapping into its enterprise Geographic Information System (GIS) to enable scientific groundwater management and transparent resource governance.
Tide Height Modeling and Storm Surge Warning System
74%Mumbai Maritime Board's modelled tide height data serves as a critical input for predicting high-tide timings and issuing storm surge warnings during extreme weather events.