Chennaiites, who were sweating it through another hot day, were stunned and then, overjoyed as thunderous rains descended unexpectedly on the city on Saturday. The sudden downpour even led to a building collapse, trapping several people at Moulivakkam near Porur.
Within minutes, the blazing afternoon was transformed by the thick cloud cover across the city and peripheral areas. Drivers had to switch on headlights as early as 4 p.m. as the overcast sky burst into heavy rains. In a span of two hours, between 3.30 p.m. and 5.30 p.m., several localities received heavy showers.
By 1.15 p.m. on Saturday, the mercury level had soared to 39 degree Celsius in Nungambakkam and 38.5 degree Celsius in Meenambakkam. The sudden showers brought down the temperature to 25 degree Celsius by the evening.
The dramatic change of weather in the city was attributed to convective clouds that developed due to the intense heat of the past several days. Within a few hours ending 5.30 p.m., Meenambakkam received 62 mm of rainfall and Nungambakkam recorded 24 mm of rain. Some areas, including Egmore, Nungambakkam, and T. Nagar, were covered with sheets of water. Traffic too piled up in areas such as Vadapalani and Anna Nagar.
Some localities, particularly in suburbs that have overhead electricity cables, reported power cuts. Heavy rains also left many people stranded on road corners and motorists had to take shelter beneath bridges. T. Kumaravel, a commuter, said the sharp showers meant a longer wait for the bus. But, he did not mind the delay as rains meant a lot when the city was reeling under the heat.
However, meteorologists said that this was a temporary weather phenomenon. The meteorological department forecast that the maximum temperature on Sunday will be 37 degree Celsius, close to normal temperature for June.
