Rain with strong winds lashed many parts of Vellore town including the Bengaluru Highway (NH: 48) and neighbouring big towns like Ambur, Vaniyambadi, Arani, Gudiyatham, Tiruvannamalai, Chengam, Polur and Tirupattur in the early hours on Wednesday.
Heavy showers, that lasted for a few hours in Vellore, Tirupattur and Tiruvannamalai districts, has brought the much needed relief for residents as they have been reeling due to soaring temperatures that reached over 40 degrees Celsius for many weeks. On Wednesday, Vellore recorded a temperature of 36. 9 degrees Celsius.
Low lying areas like Sampath Nagar and Kansalpet in Vellore were inundated up to knee level after the heavy rains since Tuesday night. Frequent power cuts were reported in many areas of these districts as the heavy showers with strong winds continued till Wednesday morning. “The fort town witnessed heat waves before the rain cooled the town completely. Heavy downpour would also help recharge groundwater in the town where water in most of the borewells reduced several feet down,” said S. Kalyani, a resident.
Among Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Ranipet and Tirupattur, Vellore has received the highest average rainfall since Tuesday night with a total rainfall of 37.82 mm, followed by Tiruvannamalai with 21.48 mm. Among major towns, Anaicut in Vellore recorded the highest rainfall of 120 mm, followed by Chengam (Tiruvannamalai) with 67.40 mm rainfall as of 8 a.m. on Wednesday.
Agriculture officials said that the assessment of crop damage in farming areas like Nemili (Ranipet), Arani, Polur, Chengam in Tiruvannamalai and Anaicut in Vellore will be done in the coming days. Areas like Padavedu, Pushpagiri, Santhavasal and Kesavapuram near Polur town in Tiruvannamalai have witnessed extensive damage of banana plantations. Officials said that necessary crop damage compensation will be given after complete assessment of total damage to crops.
