Rain Brings Relief to Baked City

Temperature down after 2-week dry spell, which made this July hottest in a decade

CHENNAI: In a welcome relief, after two continuous weeks of dry heat that had made this the hottest July in a decade, the city received rains for the third successive day on Sunday

People had to make do with intermittent showers throughout the day, coupled with strong winds. By afternoon, residents were found to be having second thoughts about planning to step out.

The rains came after a hot spell due to the Westerly Winds that delayed the onset of the sea breeze along the city coast. The showers have been due to convective activities of winds that circulates heat and moisture from the land bringing rain, according to the regional meteorological department.

Meanwhile, as the South West Monsoon — between June 1 to July 15 — came to a close, the rainfall record show that the season has been beneficial only to five districts: Theni,  Coimbatore, Sivaganga, Thoothukudi and Nagapattinam, which registered excess rainfall. Among the rest, 14 districts had normal rainfall, while 13 recorded deficient rains. Villupuram was the worst affected, receiving only 17.8 mm rain as against the normal of 78.4 mm. The reading here has been classified as ‘scanty’. Neighbouring UT Puducherry, too, recorded deficient rains.

Chennai, Thiruvallur and Kancheepuram, the three districts that form the metropolis, too, are in the deficient list. The weather forecast for the region predicts isolated rain or thunder showers over Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in the coming few days.

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The New Indian Express
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