A sudden spell of showers lashed the southern suburbs on Monday, bringing cheer to residents who had been reeling under the simmering heat.
The rains, which had played hide and seek with the city over the past few days, finally took residents by surprise when they came. The cloud cover for the past three or four days had helped bring down the temperature by a degree or two. On Sunday, the weather observatories in Nungambakkam and Meenambakkam recorded 34.1 degree Celsius and 35.1 degree Celsius, which were one degree below normal.
Similar weather prevailed on Monday too, thanks to the murky sky. In the southern suburbs, a dark patch of cloud cover had threatened to burst into heavy rains since morning. The skies opened at 1 p.m. and it rained for over 45 minutes.
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Several motorists near the road overbridge in Tambaram scurried for cover. Similarly, Urapakkam, Vandalur and Guduvanchery areas too experienced heavy showers for a brief while. The brief shower was enough for pools of stagnant water to be formed along the margins of Velachery Main Road and Grand Southern Trunk Road.
Residents of Moolakadai too enjoyed a light drizzle and pleasant weather. While it rained in East Tambaram and Selaiyur, not a drop fell in West Tambaram or on Velachery Main Road beyond Camp Road.
Motorists, who over the past couple of days, were complaining of sultry weather as early as 7.30 a.m., said that the cloudy sky had brought down the temperature.
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On Monday, Nungambakkam and Meenambakkam recorded 35.1 and 36.4 degree Celsius, which is normal for April. Officials of the meteorological department said that development of thunderclouds led to showers. This type of summer phenomenon usually occurs in interior parts rather than in coastal districts.
The thunderstorm activity is likely to bring more rains in Tiruvallur, Tiruttani and Arakkonam. Chennai too may have rain or thundershowers in some areas during evening or night for the next two days.