Nagpur: After days of oppressive heat and humidity, a spell of pre-monsoon rain on Friday evening brought much-needed relief to Nagpur residents. The city recorded 32mm of rainfall till 5.30pm, significantly cooling the atmosphere and providing respite from the sweltering conditions that had persisted throughout the day.The weather remained hot and humid during the early afternoon with temperature rising to 41 degrees Celsius. However, dark clouds began gathering over the city around 2pm, gradually covering the sky and creating near dusk-like conditions. About an hour and a half later, heavy rain lashed several parts of the city. Intermittent showers continued till around 6pm, bringing down temperature and making the weather considerably pleasant.The rainfall resulted in the temperature dropping by nearly 3 degrees Celsius. Besides Nagpur, other parts of Vidarbha also received negligent rainfall. Chandrapur recorded 7mm of rain, Brahmapuri 3mm, while Gadchiroli and Wardha received 1mm each.According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), pre-monsoon activity has started becoming visible across Vidarbha. The weather department has forecast continued rainfall activity accompanied by gusty winds across most districts of Vidarbha till June 18. Thunderstorms and rain are particularly likely on June 13 and June 16, although strong sunshine is expected during daytime hours on many days.Wardha and Akola were the hottest places in the region on Friday, recording a maximum temperature of 43.5°C each. Yavatmal registered 43.2°C, Amravati 42.4°C and Brahmapuri 41.9°C.Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon’s progress over central India remains sluggish. The monsoon trough has currently stalled over Solapur district in Maharashtra and has remained almost stationary since June 8.In contrast, the monsoon has advanced rapidly over eastern and northeastern parts of the country. Over the past two days, it has progressed through Bihar and West Bengal and entered Odisha and Jharkhand. Despite this advancement, the monsoon is yet to make significant progress across central India.Meteorologists attribute the recent rainfall activity to a trough extending from Pakistan through northeast Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. Another trough stretches from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the Bay of Bengal. These systems are helping transport large amounts of moisture into Madhya Pradesh and adjoining regions, triggering rain-bearing conditions over Nagpur and several parts of Vidarbha.
