Kanpur: As if living up to a time-honoured belief linked to the holy month of Shrawan, the skies opened over Kanpur on Thursday, the very first day of the Hindu month, bringing a spell of rain and much-needed respite from the oppressive humidity.The city witnessed widespread showers beginning around 1 pm. The rain continued for nearly 45 minutes, with weather observatories recording an average rainfall of 4 mm across the city, although the intensity varied from one locality to another.Weather expert S N Sunil Pandey said the showers were widespread, but the quantum of rainfall differed from place to place. He attributed the rain to abundant atmospheric moisture and favourable weather systems prevailing over the region.The showers offered brief relief from the sultry weather. However, the respite was short-lived as bright sunshine returned soon after the rain, pushing humidity levels up once again and making conditions uncomfortable. The maximum relative humidity was recorded at 85%, while the minimum humidity remained around 87%, resulting in persistent mugginess.Despite the rainfall, there was little change in the day’s temperature. The maximum temperature settled at 33.6°C, about 0.4°C lower than Wednesday’s reading. Moderate easterly winds blowing at speeds between 5.7 kmph and 11.4 kmph provided some relief from the humid conditions.Speaking to TOI, Pandey said increasing atmospheric moisture and the development of fresh weather systems are likely to keep the skies cloudy over the Kanpur division from July 30 to August 3.“During this period, isolated places may experience strong surface winds, light drizzle and light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds,” he said. He added that intermittent sunshine between rain spells could further raise humidity levels, making weather conditions uncomfortable despite the rainfall.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has also forecast an active monsoon phase across the districts of the Kanpur division over the next few days. According to the forecast, thunderstorms, rain showers and gusty winds are likely to continue in many parts of the region.The IMD has predicted that humidity levels will remain high, leading to intense sultry conditions after rain spells or whenever the sun emerges. Day temperatures are expected to hover between 33°C and 34°C, while the minimum temperature is likely to remain between 27°C and 28°C.South-easterly winds are expected to blow at speeds of 22-24 kmph, supporting continued monsoon activity across the region.
