CHENNAI: Chennai woke up to a wet Wednesday morning, when moderate but widespread showers brought the temperature further down to a little more than 25 degree Celsius. All parts of Chennai from Ambattur in the North to Perungalathur in the South witnessed rains, at least in traces. The upper air circulation in Lakshadweep brought the change in weather, said Meteorological Department, adding that the city might witness moderate rainfall for three more days.
The temperature had dipped in the last couple of days, but the showers today were still unexpected for many residents who were bracing for the dog days. It was 36°C on Sunday, 32°C on Monday and 33°C on Tuesday. Around noon on Wednesday, the temperature stood at 26.4°C.
“This is not usually the scenario. It rains in June bringing some respite, but this was totally unexpected,” said Pattamma, a resident of Ambattur. S Menaka, a resident of Velachery, who has been staying in Chennai for over 70 years, however, said that it was not uncommon.
“It’s unusual, but I have observed that it rains at the start of the Vaikasi maasam.”
Dilip Kumar, a resident of Villivakkam, said that he hadn’t been using air conditioner for over two days, thanks to the pleasant weather. “The temperature has come down to such an extent that we are bathing in warm water,” he added. However, the rain has brought along its own set of problems. Even on Wednesday, residents of Vannanthurai and other low-lying areas of Velachery and Adambakkam complained of waterlogging and said that continuous rains might worsen the condition of the roads.
“It’s tough to even walk on the road due to the slush. The garbage thrown around the bins mixes with the rain water and emanates an unpleasant smell. It’s tough especially for those on two wheelers to negotiate the traffic during rains,” said, S Murali, who stays in Velachery.
Karna Vignesh, a resident of KK Nagar, added that though his area only had minor problems due to rains, places nearby like Virugambakkam and Valasaravakkam had their own set of problems.
“Water gets logged in most of the interior areas and jet rodding trucks come in to suck the water out. Something needs to be done by the authorities concerned before the rains, not after it,” he said. Meanwhile, an official from the Meteorological Department said that Nungambakkam recorded three mm of rainfall till Wednesday noon, while the rainfall in Meenambakkam was in traces, and hence too low to be recorded.