After days of intense heat and humid conditions, the denizens finally got relief as a spell of rain accompanied by gusty winds lashed the some parts of the city on Sunday afternoon. The sudden change in weather brought down temperatures and provided much needed respite from the prevailing discomfort. Dark clouds started hovering over the city shortly after noon, turning the sky overcast. Strong winds followed and rain started around 2.50 pm in Ranjhi and adjoining areas. The shower continued for nearly half an hour, brought a pleasant change in the weather. People step outdoors to enjoy the cooler conditions. However, several areas in the city experienced very light shower for few minutes. The rainfall comes at a time when the southwest monsoon is running about a week behind its normal schedule in Madhya Pradesh.

 

According to the weather department, monsoon is likely to reach the state by June 25. Meanwhile, the weather department has issued a thunderstorm and rain alert for 37 districts across Madhya Pradesh. The districts under alert include Jabalpur, Gwalior, Sheopur, Morena, Bhind, Datia, Shivpuri, Niwari, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Panna, Satna, Rewa, Mauganj, Sidhi, Singrauli, Maihar, Katni, Umaria, Shahdol, Anuppur, Dindori, Mandla, Balaghat, Seoni, Chhindwara, Pandhurna, Betul, Harda, Khandwa, Burhanpur, Khargone, Barwani, Dhar, Jhabua, Alirajpur and Indore. With pre-monsoon activity intensifying across the region, weather experts expect more spells of rain in the coming days, raising hopes for an early and stronger monsoon onset in the Mahakoshal region.