Sudden showers bring smiles
Posted on: 03/Jun/2013 2:45:45 PM
Chennaiites were overjoyed on Sunday when a sudden shower of rain brought relief to the city. Although the temperature did not go down, a perception of coolness prevaded. Areas in South Chennai such as Tiruvanmiyur, Alwarpet and Guindy received a good amount of rain where the other parts remained dry. Meenambakkam recorded 90.1 mm of rain and Nungambakkam 0.1 mm!
‘The rain was a result of convective activity or thunder clouds. It is the process of warm air, which the city has been experiencing for a few weeks now, rising above cold air forming clouds. As the warm air rises cold dense air sinks which explains the drop in temperatures at night. These spells (of rain) are for hardly 45 minutes to an hour. However, there will be certain pockets where clouds will keep forming inviting more rain than other areas.
‘Rains caused due to convection are erratic and a humid day follows. The next day is likely to be uncomfortable due to the moisture content in the air. The rains will not persist for more than one or two days… The southwest monsoon has covered most parts of the Arabian Sea’, said a Met Dept. official.
