Sudden rain disrupts normalcy in Chennai; waterlogging reported in few areas

CHENNAI: Chennaiites were dealing with a temperature hovering over 100 degrees Fahrenheit for at least a month and woke up to a respite on Tuesday morning, thanks to cyclone Asani which bought good rains throughout the night. Normalcy was affected on Tuesday as puddles of water were found across the city.

Umbrellas and raincoats which were shelved had to be pulled out because of the showers. School children and officer goers had a tough time travelling, but the weather change was welcomed by most of the people. The public was expecting summer rains this month to bring down the maximum temperature in the city.

"Though summer rain was expected because of scorching heat in the recent days, there were frequent power cuts in the locality ever since the season started. The rain we received last night was unexpected," said K Micheal, a resident of Perambur.

When the rain pattern continues in the city, power demand is expected to reduce. However, weather bloggers stated that it was a temporary relief, and in the next few days, the high temperature is expected to be back.

Within a few hours of rains, water stagnated in several areas in the city. However, areas including Ambattur, and Velachery which was severely affected during the monsoon rains due to inundation, had no water stagnation though it was raining for almost 10 hours on Tuesday.

"Even for light rains, the locality will be inundated mixed with drainage water. Even though it was raining continuously there was no stagnation, it is a big relief for the locals," said R Manoj, a resident of Ambattur.

Meanwhile, city beaches wore a deserted morning, as beachgoers stayed indoors due to the prolonged rain lashing Chennai.