Rain lightens summer woes

Rain lightens summer woes
Bangalore, Apr 12, DHNS:

A combination of cool, gentle breeze and intense rain brought smiles on the faces of Bangaloreans who, till this afternoon, were cursing the heat and humidity that had turned the City into a cauldron.

The drenching rain came after a period of prolonged dry spell in a summer marked by temperatures that had soared to 37.6 degrees Celsius, unheard of in recent times. There was not just joy and relief for the residents of the City many of whom did not mind drenching in the pelting rain.

Other parts of the State, including Mysore, Hassan and Sakleshpur also experienced moderate to strong winds followed by the rain. The Met office recorded a rainfall of 21.88 mm of rain in Bangalore. The maximum temperature on Tuesday was 37.1 degrees Celsius and the minimum 24.5 degrees, Met department officers said. The showers heralded ambient weather conditions.

As the first drops of rain hit the parched Bangalore soil, people across the City erupted in joy. Some ran outdoors to get drenched, others returning home from work took shelter under building parapets. Although caught unawares, people did not seem to mind the mild water-logging and the muddy slush that the pouring rain caused.

No damage

The rainfall did not cause much damage as there were no reports of trees being uprooted or vehicle accidents. In some parts of the City, the roads turned treacherous because of the slush and mud, while central Bangalore witnessed a few traffic snarls.

It was around 4 pm that the sky turned overcast as the first darkening clouds gathered. By dusk, the sky over Bangalore had taken on a murky hue — indication enough that soon or later the ink blue firmament would open up. Avantika Sharma and Jahnnavi, who were out shopping on Brigade Road, said they were literally praying for some rain.

“This is what we have been waiting for. The heat and humidity had become too much and the situation had been worsened by the power cuts,” said Avantika gleefully as she took shelter in a shop, drenched to her skin.

Met department officials attributed the sharp showers to “some upper air cyclonic system over South Karnataka” and indicated that the “sky will remain cloudy and thundershowers are likely in some areas on Wednesday as well.”