Sudden showers lashed several parts of the city on Saturday, bringing down the day temperature.
Several areas, including Aminjikarai, Egmore, Chetpet, Velachery and Adyar, experienced thundershowers from the afternoon. The maximum temperature in Nungambakkam and Meenambakkam , which was hovering over a few degrees above average till Friday, dropped to a normal of 33.2 degree Celsius and 32.8 degree Celsius on Saturday. Areas in south Chennai experienced more rains. Residents said the sharp showers were accompanied by strong winds since afternoon.
The automatic rain gauges in Taramani and Anna University recorded nearly one cm of rainfall till the evening. While the weather observatory in Meenambakkam recorded 1 cm of rainfall, Nungambakkam had registered only a trace of rain till 5.30 p.m.
Officials of the meteorological department said Saturday’s rainfall was due to local convective activity followed by a prolonged period of intense heat and such thundershowers are usually accompanied by a cool breeze.
Chennai has so far received 65 cm of rainfall since January 1 this year against the annual average rainfall of 140 cm, officials said.
The weekend is set to be pleasant with the meteorological department forecasting rain or thundershowers in some areas during the evening or night on Sunday as well.
