Summer rain may bring much-needed respite from heat

Coimbatore: Residents may get a respite from the sweltering heat in the next few days, with the summer rain expected to lash the district in the first week of May.
Weather experts said the district was likely to receive light to moderate showers from May 4 to the middle of the month. While the rain might be inadequate to improve the groundwater level, according to them the same would bring down the temperature slightly and help farmers prepare (plough) their farmlands for kharif crops.
Weather blogger Santhosh Krishnan said there was an increase in moisture in the area and a clear point, where the easterly and westerly winds would meet.
Mahesh Palawat, chief meteorologist, Skymet Weather Services, also said moderate rain could be expected from May 5 to 8, and again in the middle of the month. “There might be clouds from May 3 or 4, followed by rain. There are also signs of a probable cyclonic circulation forming from south Karnataka to south Sri Lanka after May 8 and that would cover the entire Tamil Nadu. This will also bring showers.”
The rain is expected to bring down the maximum temperatures by 1 degree C to 2 degree C, giving a welcome respite to the people from the sweltering heat that they have been experiencing for the past one week, and help farmers prepare for the kharif crop.
S P Ramanathan, director, Agro Climate Research Centre at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, said around 30mm to 40mm rainfall in a short span would wet the soil enough to plough the same. “Ploughing, before kharif crop cultivation, will help control weed growth and water runoff, and reduce chances of disease and pest attack during the summer by destroying all the larvae and pupae during the process.”
Farmers said the summer rain was a blessing, especially for banana and coconut farms. “For banana fruit to grow well, temperature below 30 deg C is ideal or they require water. The summer rain will serve both purposes,” said Karthik Krishnakumar, a coconut farmer.