The sweltering heat and patches of grey clouds that had shown signs of the impending rain finally gave way to thunderstorms, lightning and hailstones in some areas, subsequently followed by rain around 7 pm.
Unprepared for the rain, pedestrians scampered off in search of bus shelters or buildings which could protect them from the downpour. With exams over, youngsters were in no hurry to save themselves from the cool heavenly showers. They walked slowly, loving every drop of the rain that touched them.
Huge trees were no help either, since most of them, just after spring had shed leaves, exposing the skeleton of haphazardly grown branches with tiny leaves sprouting at their ends. The traffic was thrown out of gear, but most drivers seemed to be in a forgiving mood, allowing pedestrians to pass before they went any further. For rural areas, rain brought good news. The farmers in the surrounding areas, who had prepared fields for sowing will decide on the seeds to be bought for the season.
Trees uprooted
There were reports of rain in Hassan district on Sunday. Several trees were uprooted and tiles of houses have been damaged. Hundreds of banana trees have been damaged due to a strong gale. Chamarajanagar town also received showers for about 20 minutes.
There was some respite from the sweltering heat for the people of Tumkur and the adjoining areas in the form of light rainfall on Monday evening, bringing down the temperature to a certain extent.
Though the rain, accompanied by thunder, did not pour heavily, it is true that the people were delighted as it provided some relief from the scorching heat. In the last few days, the maximum temperature in Tumkur had crossed 36 degrees Celsius. On Saturday, the maximum temperature had reached an extreme of 38 degrees Celsius.
By Saturday afternoon, hot winds prevailed, causing anxiety among the public as it was a first-time experience for the people of Tumkur. With the unbearable heat on Saturday, people anticipated the rain. Finally on Monday, it started raining at 5.10 in the evening and later it drizzled for about an hour.
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