Mercury rises as rain skips Chennai

CHENNAI: Though the weathermen had predicted that the city would receive moderate showers this week, the sun was shining bright on Chennaiites on Thursday, with the temperature going up by a degree more than that on Wednesday.
The day that started cloudy let residents down late in the morning as the temperature increased gradually, going up to a maximum of 36.7 degrees Celsius, as recorded by the regional meteorological centre (RMC) at Nungambakkam.
The suburbs also had to bear the heat as the maximum temperature was 35.4 degrees Celsius. “Walking under the sun was unbearable today. By the evening, I felt as if all my energy had been drained out,” said Poornima, a college student.
Some parts of the city experienced moderate showers on Wednesday night. However, they contributed only to trace rainfall on the whole.
Two days ago, the meteorology department had predicted that the state would receive a good amount of rainfall during the week as a low level trough caused by low atmospheric pressure had developed along the southeast coast of Tamil Nadu. Although many parts of the state, including Madurai and Trichy, are receiving showers, the city remains to suffer the afternoon heat.
Since the onset of southwest monsoon on June 1, the state has received 190.8mm of rainfall, which is 4% less than the expected amount of 198.6mm, and the city got 348.4mm of rains, which is 12% excess in comparison with the normal 310.4mm of rains.