Hyderabad witnessed a record-breaking 66.7 mm of unseasonal rain on Sunday, the highest received in a day in April since 1986.
According to the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) data, the record-breaking rainfall on Sunday surpassed the previous record of 61.4 mm received in 24 hours on April 13, 2015.
While May is when the summer usually peaks and consistently crosses 40 degrees Celsius in the city, the rain is likely to continue for the next five-days, Dr E Nagaratna, the head of IMD-Hyderabad, said on Monday. “The rain may completely recede after a week and the heat may make a comeback. However, the possibilities of a heatwave in Telangana, including in Hyderabad, look less in May,” she said.
While the thunderstorms were relentless on Sunday, there was a brief pause for few hours on Monday morning before
several parts of the State capital started receiving scattered but intense spells of rain lasting for 30-40 minutes by evening.
The areas in Hyderabad that recorded 10-30 mm of rainfall on Monday were Gajularamaram, Hayathnagar, Bandlaguda, Medipally, Keesara, Sainikpuri, Dr A S Rao Nagar, Vanasthalipuram and LB Nagar.
Several parts of Secunderabad, including Malkajgiri, Neredmet, Musheerabad and Moula Ali, also reported intense spells of showers.
On Sunday, as the rain continued to batter the city, residents were left wondering if they had been magically transported from the sweltering April to the monsoons of July.
The downpour was non-stop, with brief breaks, but resumed early on Monday. Several low-lying areas were flooded, making it difficult for people to move around.