Times News NetworkKanpur: A thunderstorm accompanied by pre-monsoon heavy rainfall lashedcity on Saturday morning, bringing considerable relief from intense heatand making weather conditions pleasant till noon.According to weather data, the maximum temperature dropped to 34.2 degreesCelsius against Friday’s 37.3 degrees Celsius, while the minimumtemperature was recorded at 26.1 degrees Celsius. The rainfall pushedmaximum relative humidity to 98 per cent, causing discomfort during noonand afternoon hours. However, south-eastern winds blowing at speeds between7.5 kmph and 23.4 kmph gave some respite to residents during thedaytime.The weather changed early in the morning when western winds indicated thepossibility of a dust storm. Soon, dark clouds covered the sky anddrizzling accompanied by thunderstorm activity began around 6.15 am. Withinminutes, the drizzle turned into heavy rainfall that continued for over 40minutes. By around 9 am, the sky got cleared and bright sunshine returned.The rainfall led to severe waterlogging in several low-lying areas of thecity. Many roads turned into virtual canals, disrupting vehicular movementacross different localities. Thunderstorm activity also uprooted trees atseveral places, affecting traffic flow. According to observatories of citymaximum rain fall was recorded as 42 mm by Air force and all other placesit ranged between 38.5 to 39.2 mm.Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department has forecast brightsunshine, intense heat and partly cloudy skies across all six districts ofthe Kanpur division over the next 24 hours. The department stated thatmaximum temperatures in most districts are likely to range between 39degrees Celsius and 43 degrees Celsius, while minimum temperatures mayremain between 27 degrees Celsius and 32 degrees Celsius. Possibility ofdust storms or light drizzle accompanied by thunderstorms during nighthours has also been predicted in some areas.Weather expert Dr S Sunil Pandey said that due to atmospheric moisture,light rain or showers accompanied by strong winds and thundercloud activityare likely in the Kanpur division from late night through Sunday morningand may continue over the coming days. Heavy rainfall disrupted traffic movement exposingthe tall claims of the Kanpur Municipal Corporation regarding desilting ofdrains and nullahs.The downpour disrupted power supply in some localities.Waterlogging was reported from Yashoda Nagar, Barra, Shastri Nagar, GovindNagar Kachchi Basti, parts of Nawabganj and several other low-lyinglocalities. In Ward 29, rainwater entered several houses after lanes and roads weresubmerged. Residents alleged that poor drainage arrangements led to theflooding.
