Relief for residents from scorching heat as heavy rain batters Trichy

Trichy: Thundershowers lashed several parts of Trichy city on Saturday, giving the much-needed respite for locals from the sultry summer weather. Electricity was suspended for a brief time due to the gusty wind accompanied by moderate rainfall but was later restored.Most parts of the city, including Sanjeevi Nagar, Rockfort, Cantonment and Thillai Nagar areas, received moderate to heavy rainfall, but in peripheral localities such as Thiruverumbur, the intensity of spells was comparatively low. The summer showers that started at around 2.30pm continued in some areas beyond 4pm. Inundation prevailed for a while in low-lying areas in Palakkarai, Cantonment and Thillai Nagar cross streets localities. IMD attributed the change in weather pattern to the well-marked low-pressure area persisting over the southwest Bay of Bengal. The cloudy and pleasant weather reduced the daytime temperatures substantially. While the maximum temperature recorded in the city hovered around 35 degrees Celsius, the minimum temperature recorded as of Saturday evening dropped to 26 degrees Celsius. IMD data revealed that the departures from normal maximum and normal minimum in Trichy city were minus 2.9 degrees Celsius and minus 0.8 degrees Celsius, respectively. IMD has predicted a thunderstorm accompanied by lightning on Sunday and a heavy rainfall warning on Monday (May 18). Between May 19 and 22, Trichy is predicted to witness cloudy conditions with possibilities for light rainfall, and the maximum temperature is expected to hover around 33 degrees Celsius for most part of the week.