A mild drizzle in the afternoon reduced temperature in Bhubaneswar bringing respite from the scorching sun on Tuesday.

The temperature has been hovering around 36°C for the past few days with the residents apprehending a hot summer ahead.

"The sun was blazing in the afternoon, and it is getting difficult to travel at that hours. The rain came as a big surprise, and we did not miss the opportunity to get wet," said Santosh Behera, a resident.

The sudden rain also forced the commuters to take shelter under tress and roofs across the city. "It was a pleasant surprise, and we were expecting the rain to continue for more time," said Nirlipta Naik, an engineering student.

Not only Bhubaneswar, but also a few other places, including Cuttack, experienced a drop in temperature with moderate rainfall. Titilagarh received a rainfall of 4mm followed by Dhenkanal, which received a rainfall of 3mm. Similarly, Cuttack and Chandabali received a rainfall of 0.8mm and 0.6mm, respectively.

An official in the regional meteorological centre in Bhubaneswar said the rain was caused by the impact of a trough line formed over Chhattisgarh. "The day temperature would come down tomorrow. However, it would again rise from Thursday," said Met director Sarat Chandra Sahu.

On the other hand, Bhubaneswar was the hottest place in the state today with a maximum temperature of 36.5°C. Weatherman forecasts that light rain or thundershowers might occur at one or two places in the coastal districts Keonjhar in the next 24 hours. "March has just started and the sun is blazing hard. It has become difficult to remain outdoors without sun protection. We are apprehending a hot and gruelling summer this season," said Nirmalya Jena, another resident.

Statistics of the meteorological centre revealed that March had been getting hotter since 2010.

    Text by Lelin Kumar Mallick 
    Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee