Pre-monsoon showers lash Nashik; IMD issues yellow alert for next two days

Nashik: Moderate to heavy pre-monsoon showers lashed Nashik city on Tuesday afternoon, felling around 20 trees and disrupting normal life, even as civic preparedness came under scrutiny.The two-hour spell, between 3pm and 5pm, brought about 25mm rainfall, offering relief from the heat but briefly affecting traffic due to fallen trees and branches in parts of the city.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for Wednesday and Thursday.“Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, light to moderate rainfall, and gusty winds with speeds ranging from 30 to 40 kmph at isolated locations are likely,” officials said, adding that light rain activity will continue on Friday and Saturday.Residents, especially in markets and commercial areas, faced inconvenience during peak hours, though many welcomed the drop in temperature after days of intense heat.Meanwhile, the rain exposed gaps in the Nashik Municipal Corporation’s preparedness, with pre-monsoon desilting work still incomplete despite a May 31 deadline.Several nullahs remain uncleared, raising concerns of waterlogging if rainfall intensifies in the coming days.Temperature readings showed a marginal dip, with the maximum at 36.8°C on Tuesday from 37.1°C on Monday, while the minimum fell to 22.9°C from 24.4°C. In the district, Malegaon recorded 40.8°C, slightly lower than the previous day’s 41.4°C.