Daijiworld News Network - Mangalore (MB)

Mangalore, May 22 (Monday, 6-45 am): The worry of downtown residents of the city has been the pattern of rainfall within the city over the past few years.

While by mid-May most of the taluks of the undivided DK districts will have been blessed with good showers a few times, it is the Mangalore city that gets the last preference. Not that there is no rain at all. Even when it showers, it is always sporadic and sparsely spread, almost as a rule. So when it rains in Hampankatta, it is Kankanady which would stay dry. If Kodialbail gets drenched, Kadri at 2-3 kms distance will have no showers.

The past few days had been a tough time for the residents. The heat was unbearable, with humidity too causing copious sweating. But the welcome showers that poured for about 2 hours from around 2-30 am on Monday, May 22 seemed to have brought a brief stint of relief from the sultry weather.

Since the first showers are accompanied by heavy lightning and thunder, MESCOM authorities switched the power lines off as a precautionary step. There was a power shutdown for about 4 hours, but there was no lightning or thunder.

The skies have cleared by 6-30 am. If the showers don't continue, the weather could again turn extremely warm, much worse than before, said a senior citizen.