High humidity leaves Chennai sultry

Chennai: With the maximum temperature hovering around 38 degree C, Chennaiites experienced a sultry Friday with escalating relative humidity (RH) levels. As rain was not predicted, the city will experience a similar situation for the next few days while the southern districts are predicted to receive marginally good rains in the next 24 hours.

Weather blogger Pradeep John attributed the reason of rainfall in the interior regions to the change in winds from easterlies to westerlies. “Interior Karnataka and Telangana will experience heavy rains combined with hailstorms as in Odisha. Slight showers are predicted in Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli too,” he added.

According to a post on Kea weather, RH levels in Chennai were hiked upto 84% on Friday. Explaining the phenomenon, Pradeep John said that RH levels increase the real temperature feel in the city. “Moisture content in the city’s wind prevents sunstroke deaths in the city unlike the interior regions that are suffocated with dry heat,” he mentioned.

Absence of cloud formation deters rainfall to the city and adjoining districts, said met department officials. According to inputs from the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Nungambakkam station recorded a maximum of 36 degree C while Chennai airport recorded 38 degree C. Arterial roads in the city wore a deserted look in the hot hours, resembling a curfew like situation. “Day shoppers in Ranganathan Street drastically decreased. It is a struggle to stand in the scorching heat for more than 6 hours,” said Velu Murugan, a juice seller.

Karur tops the state’s maximum temperature with 40.6 degree C while Vellore and Dharmapuri boiled at 40.5 degree C. Temperature at Salem and Tirupathur was recorded at 40.4 degree C.