Heavy rains lash Chennai and suburbs, bring relief from unrelenting heat

When contacted by UNI, a Met official attributed the rains to the convective activity as well as an upper air circulation.

The rains, accompanied by gusty winds, thunder and lightning, lasted for an hour from 1800 hrs to 1900 hours and left many parts of the city waterlogged.

Several arterial roads witnessed water stagnation and traffic snarls were reported.

The heavy downpour might have caused hardship to the people, especially to those returning home from office, but it gave a welcome relief from the searing heat, considering that the mercury level hovered around 105 to 108 degrees Farenheit mark consecutively for several days, before it came down during the last two days, thanks to late night and early morning showers.

The rains were also expected to provide some recharging for the parched reservoirs of Chennai city, which was reeling from severe water scarcity.

In Ashok Nagar area, a tree got uprooted due to the winds, leading to pile up of vehicles. However, police and fire service personnel acted swiftly to clear it.

The official said the more rainfall, though light, was likely to persist for some time, as the clouds started moving towards the sea.
Meanwhile, a low pressure area was likely to form over the Bay of Bengal on June 30, which was expected to bring more rain, which was expected to recharge the ground water sources that would bring smiles on the faces of the water managers.

"It is likely to form as a low pressure on Sunday. We will be monitoring the system," the official said.