Heavy rain that killed at least 41 people in southern India and Sri Lanka is likely to ease in the next few days, weather forecasters said on Thursday.

The Indian Meteorological Department forecast light to moderate rain in most affected areas, with occasional flooding of roads and low-lying areas in some places. Counterparts in neighboring Sri Lanka said rain there was expected to ease from Thursday as the low pressure that brought the bad weather moved away.

"The worst is over and occasional rains will happen," said Pradeep John, an amateur forecaster who is widely followed in Tamil Nadu, India's worst-affected state. "Today rains will be on and off, with large breaks and nothing alarming."

The rain, brought by a low pressure, killed 25 people in the neighboring island nation of Sri Lanka, most of whom drowned, while landslides injured five, officials said on Wednesday. Sixteen people were killed in Tamil Nadu.

Many parts of the state capital Chennai, which is India's auto manufacturing centre, were waterlogged on Thursday and government officials used pumps to drain water that had stranded some residents waist deep.

Thousands of people in low lying areas were moved to safety, officials said.

Many schools and colleges in Tamil Nadu remained closed while some train services were still suspended.

India's northeast monsoon usually runs from October to December, bringing heavy rain, particularly to the south.