Monsoon just got longer

Hyderabad: The southwest monsoon is to continue till the third week of October.

“The withdrawal of the monsoon has been extended from its official date of September 30. Expect rains to subside by late October," an official with the Indian Meteorological Department said.

Many parts of Hyderabad received flash rains - heavy showers for a short duration - on Thursday evening during the peak hours which as usual stopped traffic.

Commuters on Tank Bund, Buddha Bhavan, Bowenpally, Patny, Sai Baba temple at Ghas-mandi main road were the worst hit.

"I was just travelling from the Old City when it started raining. I simply parked my auto-rickshaw under a tree to prevent any water from entering the engine," said Kabir, an autorickshaw driver whose trip to Ramgopalpet police station took an hour.

Bharat Saini had to carefully ride past waterlogged streets on Lower Tank Bund. “I had seen what had happened to the area when it rained previously. That is why I was driving slowly. By doing so I won't splash water or get any into my engine,” he said.

The situation was worse in Alwal and Lothkunta. “I travelled from Alwal to Tarnaka, and it was like a mini typhoon had hit the place. There was water everywhere and I could find no way to travel,” said Mr B.T. Srinivasan, a resident of Tarnaka.

According to the Telangana State Development Planning Society, Hayathnagar, the LB Nagar circle received 44.8 mm rainfall, which was the highest in the city.

This was followed by Prashanthnagar, in Vanas-thalipuram, at 30.5 mm, according to data collected during the day.

“Weather conditions will remain like this for the next 24-hours. We can expect that the intensity of rain will reduce after that,” Dr K. Naga Ratna, head of weather forecasting, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD)  told Deccan Chronicle.