Date:12/05/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/05/12/stories/2006051224600300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

12.9 mm of rain in city

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: Just when it looked like the mercury would rise to record levels, summer showers intervened to cool down the heat. Last week's record high temperatures of 37 degrees Celsius and 38 degrees Celsius had threatened to keep the summer woes going on for some more time. But the rain is here, and it continued to drizzle on Thursday as well.

There were many Bangaloreans who welcomed the rain. Wisely staying at home, they enjoyed the weather getting cooler. Barring the low-lying roads, water-logging was not a problem on Thursday. But the tree falls were.

According to the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) control rooms, roadside trees came crashing in R.T. Nagar, Nandidurg Road, Queen's Road, Rajajinagar, Kamalanagar and Malleswaram. A tree that fell in Malleswaram effectively halted traffic on the busy 18th Cross and its link to the 16th Cross Road. BMP staff had to rush to the place to clear the branches and restore traffic flow.

The city recorded 12.9 mm of rainfall through the day, according to the Meteorological Department. Two days of showers dropped the minimum temperature to 20.2 degrees Celsius and the maximum to 34.7 degrees Celsius. Friday will bring more rain, according to the department.