Heavy rain accompanied by gusty winds and lightning caused extensive damage to standing crops in the district as trees fell on Ghat Road in Kolli Hills disrupting traffic here on Thursday.
More than 400 betel nut trees were uprooted in a farm land near Periyasamy Temple in Muthugapatti due to the wind. Also, trees along roadside got uprooted and fell on the road as workers had a tough time in clearing the roads. The unexpected rain in Kolli Hills disrupted normal life as power supply was disrupted for many hours and trees fell on Ghat Road at 50{+t}{+h}hairpin bend. Workers chopped the trees and cleared the road for traffic on Thursday morning.
A weather bulletin issued by Agromet Field Unit of Veterinary College and Research Institute here and Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, said that the sky will be partly cloudy with fair chances of smaller rain at some places. Also, the wind is also likely to increase thereby bringing down the temperature by four to five degrees centigrade.
Meanwhile, various parts of Salem district experienced widespread rain late Wednesday evening.
Though the sky remained overcast for a major part of the day, it did not rain on Thursday.
Veeraganur town experienced the maximum rainfall of 25 m.m. rainfall in the last 24 hours that ended at 8 a.m. on Thursday, followed by Thammampatti 18.2 m.m.; Vazhappadi 13.2 m.m.; Salem 12.8 m.m.; Edappadi 4.2 m.m. and the hill station of Yercaud 2 m.m.
Special Correspondent from Erode adds:
Overnight rain in Erode and surroundings caused water logging in low-lying areas of the city.
The rain disrupted movement of vehicles and there were periodic disruptions in electricity supply during the night hours. All through Thursday, the weather was pleasant in most parts of the district. During the last 24 hours ending 8.00 a.m. on Thursday, Sivagiri received the highest rainfall of 50 mm, followed by Erode (47), Muthur (35), Arachalur (31), Perundurai (28), Olapalayam (26), Kodumudi (16) and Kodiveri (12).
