The city received its first spell of heavy and widespread rain of the season on Friday, providing the much-needed relief from heatwave conditions.
The rainfall was intense, which reduced the temperature, registering an almost a 5 degrees to 6 degrees C drop by the evening.
Parts of low-lying areas, including the road under bridge at Saraswathipuram, saw heavy surface flow resulting in water stagnation.
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The rain began around 4.20 p.m. and continued for about 40 minutes. There was another spell from 6 p.m., which was less intense.
Parts of Mysuru had received rain during the preceding weeks, but they were isolated and scattered, and not as widespread as on Friday.
The temperature in Mysuru and surrounding regions was around 36 degrees to 38 degrees Celsius for the greater part of April and went on to register a 100-year record high of 39.9 degrees C — the highest-ever temperature for any month — underlining the severity of the summer this year.
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The Indian Meteorological Department has forecast rains for the next four days ranging from a low of 6 mm to a high of 12 mm and the forecast is valid till May 10.
The Organic Farming Research Station at Naganahalli, which puts out the Agro-advisory bulletin for Mysuru and other districts in the region indicated that despite the rain the temperature may register a surge during the next few days. It is expected to hover at 34 degrees to 35 degrees C, while the minimum temperature at night will be around 20 degrees to 21 degrees C.
Mysuru and surrounding regions generally receive heavy pre-monsoon showers during April but it failed this year, adding to the prevailing discomfort due to intense heat.
According to the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre, Mysuru should have received 61.9 mm of rain during April but received only 15 mm which is 76 per cent lower than normal.
The cumulative rainfall for Mysuru for the period January 1 to May 6 is 103.1 mm against which it received only 43.8 mm, which is 71 per cent lower than the normal, underlining the severity of the drought so far.
Parts of Mysuru had received rain during the preceding weeks, but they were isolated, scattered