Showers bring relief in Satara & Kolhapur

Kolhapur: A sudden spell of rain accompanied by strong winds and lightning on Wednesday evening left a trail of damage in parts of Satara district, with 22 goats and a cow killed in lightning strikes, even as the showers brought much-needed relief from oppressive heat.The intense spell, which lasted for around half an hour, hit isolated pockets — particularly the eastern parts of the district. In Man tehsil's Kondwe village, 22 goats belonging to shepherd Hanmant Masal were killed after being struck by lightning, while an indigenous cow owned by farmer Appa Patole died in a similar incident in Pedgaon village of Khatav tehsil.District collector Santosh Patil urged residents to promptly report losses to ensure timely relief.The sudden storm followed days of extreme heat, with temperatures hovering around 42°C and high humidity making daytime conditions unbearable.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a yellow alert for Satara, warning of heatwave conditions in isolated pockets.Meanwhile, neighbouring Kolhapur district also witnessed a late-night weather shift. Despite cloudy conditions since afternoon, rain began only after 8.30pm, lashing several parts of the city and district with moderate showers.The IMD said that the southwest monsoon is likely to advance over parts of the Bay of Bengal, Andaman Sea and Andaman and Nicobar Islands towards the end of this week, signalling a timely onset of the monsoon season.