Mangaluru: The proverb “March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers”, or the shorter, trochaic version “April showers bring May flowers” are common expressions in English speaking countries. Whatever the versions are, monsoon seemed like it came few weeks earlier in the coastal town than the expected time which starts in May end/June.
Although it didn’t pour down heavily, but the rain did surprise citizens of Mangaluru during late morning hours/noon. Few of them were surprised to see rain in the month of April, others later during the day commented saying, “Probably it rained due to Global Warming?”. The pre monsoon however is expected sometime in the third week of May followed by South West monsoons in the first week of June.
Today’s drizzle gave some respite from the dryness the city had endured for over last few weeks. Although it didn’t rain heavily, but it was enough to wet some of the items which some of the street vendors had stored in open air. For some the slight showers saved their time from watering the flower plants and other vegetation. The rain brought down along all the air dust particles/dirt, which landed on the surfaces of vehicles, floors and what not. Looking at the dark skies, I even dusted of my rain jacket thinking the rain would continue further during the day, but the rain lasted only for a while. And it’s scorching hot again, now !
For many this rain which came as a surprise put them in lots of inconveniences- some had run for shelter, others had to gather their umbrellas or raincoats. But according to the meteorological department the pre-monsoon rain could last for the next two days and also over the weekend. But you can’t always rely on the weather reports -it could rain or it could be sunny. Until then let’s keep our fingers crossed, and hope for a sunny bright weather rather than a gloomy wet weather during the day- let it pour during late night so that we could have a good night sleep.
Maximum temperatures has changed little over the State. They were appreciably above normal at most places over North Interior Karnataka; above normal at most places over Coastal Karnataka and at a few places over South Interior Karnataka. The forecast for the next 48 hours says there could be chances of more rain in most places over Coastal Karnataka and at many places over interior Karnataka. True or false, God only knows !