Rain is here, at last

COIMBATORE: It's been pouring in the mountains for the past three weeks and, across the border in Palakkad, rivers have been fast rising. However, the rains had kept off Coimbatore and its immediate neighbourhood, leaving people, especially farmers on the tenterhooks.
Beginning Sunday, the weather has changed for the better areas like Peelamedu and Agriculture University receiving rain.On Monday, Peelamedu recorded 2.2mm rain while Agriculture University area received 5.80mm. Daytime temperature in the city plummeted to 23 degree Celsius on Monday. The mild rain left the streets wet and people were out on the roads to enjoy the arrival of the rains. Mild rainfall has been reported from Tirupur, Erode and Sathyamangalam as well.
The met office has now announced heavy rain in the region in the coming weeks. "Western Tamil Nadu can expect relatively good rainfall this monsoon. When Kerala receives a good monsoon, the border areas get a spill over. If compared with the last season, we can hope for an effective southwest monsoon in Coimbatore region this year,'' said SR Ramanan, spokesman of the meteorological centre in Chennai.
Gusty winds and overcast skies promised rain but the clouds didn't descend from the skies until Sunday. Ironically, due to heavy rains in Valparai, Coimbatore has been classified as a district that received rainfall in excess. According to official data, the district received 45.7mm rain since June 1, which is way above the annual average of 21mm. The Nilgiris witnessed heavy showers during the same period and received 179.5mm rainfall in place of the expected 90.6mm. Erode received 43.7mm rainfall in the past 20 days in the place of the expected 22.3mm, But Salem recorded only 59.3mm rainfall in place of the expected 90.6mm and Tirupur remained dry until Sunday. "It was a case of zero rainfall till Sunday but now it has changed. Also it is heartening that catchment areas of Siruvani and Pillur dams are getting heavy flow because of the rains. So, one can hope that drinking water problems would be solved. But recharging city lakes and agricultural activities on its peripheries require at least half a dozen major showers this season," said K Mohanraj of Save Coimbatore Wetlands.
Met experts have also predicted a good northeast monsoon. "It is nice that we are getting a good monsoon. Normally, the rainfall caused by southwest monsoon is a bit scanty and isolated," said V Geethalakshmi, professor at Agro-climate Research Centre of TNAU.