Coimbatore: Summer rain brings relief to residents in lockdown times

COIMBATORE: In what could be a relief for people who were made to quarantine themselves under the sweltering heat, the city has been experiencing brief to moderate summer rain on and off since Saturday. Though the rain may not be enough to change water levels in tanks, it seems to have brought down temperature by 1C to 2C. Farmers too say the rain will help preparing soil for summer cultivation.
TNAU’s agro climate research centre recorded 8mm of rainfall on Monday and 37mm of rainfall on Saturday.This was the first summer showers in the district after the last drizzles that were recorded in January third week. While the centre did not record rainfall on Sunday, other parts of the district, like Peelamedu, Periyanaickenpalayam and Narasimanaickenpalayam, recorded 4mm to 10mm of rainfall. “This is convectional rain. If temperature keeps increasing and more clouds keep forming, it will result in more rainfall,” said director of the centre S P Ramanathan.
After rain, maximum temperatures at various places across the district fell by a couple of degrees. According to the regional meteorological centre, the district, which recorded average temperature of 36C on Thursday and 37.6C on Friday, saw average temperature fall to 35.4C on Monday and 36C on Tuesday.
The rain and relatively moderate afternoon temperature brought cheers among housewives and people working from home. “Rather than cooped in an airconditioned room, the rain made it tolerable to spend afternoon in balcony or play in the garden,” said Aparna Ram, a housewife in R S Puram.
Farmers also welcomed the beginning of the summer rain, as it will reduce the salinity of the soil and help getting better yield of their long terms crops like banana, sugarcane, turmeric, among others. “The summer rain gives crops the much needed moisture at the point when the leaves begin to dry up without irrigation. It will also help desalinate the soil making the crops grow well,” says district secretary of the Tamil Nadu Vivasaigal Sangam P Kandasamy. “It will also help summer cultivation of millets and pulses, which is done after mid-April. This moisture will help prepare the soil for it,” he added.