Most parts of Chennai received a short spell of heavy rain accompanied by strong gusts of wind on Thursday evening.
The rain brought traffic to a near standstill along some of the arterial roads in the city. The rains, a result of convection currents, let up after a short spell which caused minor waterlogging along the roadsides in a handful of areas.
“Such strong winds are not unusual with convection rains. This might even continue tomorrow,” said SR Ramanan, regional meteorological director.
The strong winds forced most two-wheeler riders to pull their vehicles over. Things, however, only got worse for them as it started raining in a matter of minutes. The rain only lasted for around 15 minutes, although the intensity was high. While it stopped completely in some areas, it continued to drizzle in a few other parts late into the evening.
“I managed to ride despite the winds and dust, even though many two-wheeler riders were pulling over to the side. But once the rain started, I had no chance. It was raining almost sideways,” said S Vaidyanathan, who was in Kotturpuram when the rain lashed.
A number of stretches on OMR and minor stretches along Mount Road and Poonamallee High Road were waterlogged, posing problem to pedestrians and slowing down traffic.