Nagpur: A spell of unseasonal rain brought widespread relief across Vidarbha on Tuesday, with light showers, gusty winds and even hailstorms reported in parts of the region, leading to a noticeable dip in temperatures after days of intense heat.While Nagpur witnessed overcast skies and light rainfall at isolated locations, hailstorm was reported from Gondia, adding to the sudden change in weather conditions. Light showers were also recorded at various places across Gadchiroli and nearby areas, while Bhandara, experienced strong winds for a brief period during the day.The change in weather is in line with the forecast issued by the India Meteorological Department, which predicted thunderstorm activity accompanied by lightning and gusty winds reaching speeds of 40-50kmph at isolated locations across Vidarbha for the next two days. Yellow alerts were issued for almost all Vidarbha districts, cautioning residents about possible sudden weather changes.The rainfall and cloud cover helped bring down the maximum temperatures across the region. In Nagpur, the mercury dropped by around 2-3 deg Celsius over the past 24 hours, offering much-needed respite from the prevailing heatwave-like conditions. Other districts, which were recording temperatures in the range of 40 deg Celsius to 44 deg Celsius, also saw a marginal decline.According to IMD officials, the current weather pattern is being influenced by an upper air cyclonic circulation over east Madhya Pradesh and a north-south trough extending across central India. These systems have contributed to the formation of thunderstorms and localised rainfall activity across Vidarbha.However, this relief is likely to be short-lived. The IMD has indicated that while a slight drop in temperatures is expected over the next 72 hours, maximum temperatures are likely to rise again by 2-4 deg Celsius in the subsequent days as conditions turn dry across most parts of the region. The forecast suggests that rainfall activity will reduce significantly after Wednesday, with dry weather expected to prevail.
