<Tr> <Td_colspan="12"> Average max. and min . temperatures in ° F </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="12"> Precipitation totals in inches </Td> </Tr> <P> Chennai has a tropical wet and dry climate (Köppen: Aw). The city lies on the thermal equator and is also on the coast, which prevents extreme variation in seasonal temperature . The hottest part of the year is late May to early June, known regionally as Agni Nakshatram ("fire star") or as Kathiri Veyyil, with maximum temperatures around 35--40 ° C (95--104 ° F). The coolest part of the year is January, with minimum temperatures around 19--25 ° C (66--77 ° F). The lowest recorded temperature was 13.9 ° C (57.0 ° F) on 11 December 1895 and 29 January 1905 . The highest recorded temperature was 45 ° C (113 ° F) on 31 May 2003 . The average annual rainfall is about 140 cm (55 in). </P> <P> The city gets most of its seasonal rainfall from the north--east monsoon winds, from mid--October to mid--December . Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal sometimes hit the city . The highest annual rainfall recorded is 257 cm (101 in) in 2005 . Prevailing winds in Chennai are usually southwesterly between April and October and north - easterly during the rest of the year . Historically, Chennai has relied on the annual rains of the monsoon season to replenish water reservoirs, as no major rivers flow through the area . Chennai has a water table at 2 metres for 60 percent of the year . </P>

What kind of climate does chennai have and why
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