By IANS,
Bangalore : February was unusually hot in Bangalore and the weatherman had predicted no respite in March, but the rain gods have been kind, with light showers in the past week cooling the city.
The weather has been pleasant with occasional drizzle in some areas and it rained fairly heavily Sunday evening with thunder and lightning akin to the pre-monsoon season.
With Ugadi, the Kannada new year about 10 days away, weather officials have forecast that the pleasant weather would continue in Bangalore and other parts of Karnataka.
According to the meteorological department, the city received 14.4 mm rainfall Sunday. And many Bangaloreans almost danced in the rain as the showers brought relief after four months of dry weather.
A Westerly trough in the upper air was cited by meteorological department director A. Muthuchami as the cause for the rainfall.
“This is pre-monsoon season. Sudden rainfall like on Sunday is a normal phenomenon. Several other parts of Karnataka also experienced rainfall Sunday.
“Several areas in the state, including Bangalore, are likely to receive mild rainfall, especially during the coming Ugadi festival, slated for March 27,” Muthuchami told IANS.
The weather remained pleasant Monday with a maximum temperature of 33 degrees Celsius and minimum of 22.4 degrees Celsius.
“Though more rains are expected in March, April will be hot and sultry and temperatures will increase by a few degrees, which is a normal phenomenon for the month,” said the director.
The met department said the city would have a maximum temperature of 33-34 degrees Celsius during March. However, in April the maximum temperature will touch 37 degrees.
The rain brought some cheer to the power-starved state. The consumption of power, especially by farmers for irrigation purposes, has reduced in the past three days, said officials of the Karnataka Power Transport Corporation.
The daily power consumption in the state was 137 MV Thursday. The consumption reduced to 134 MV Sunday, after three days of rains.