Bhubaneswar, July 1: The local meteorological centre today predicted that heavy showers would continue to lash the city till July 4.

The prediction comes as a relief for scores of people, who are excited to watch the 22nd Asian Athletics Championship, 2017 - to be held here between July 6 and 9. Tickets for its opening ceremony - to be hosted on July 5 - are already sold out.

The forecast has also brought smiles on the faces of city administrators, who have worked hard for the past 90 days to decorate the city in every possible manner in view of the event.

According to the prediction, heavy to very heavy rainfall will lash the city till July 3, but there will be a decrease in rainfall after July 4.

"There is a cyclonic circulation active over the Bay of Bengal, which is bringing the showers," said Met director Sarat Chandra Sahu.

Sahu said the system would weaken after July 4 and there were less indications of any other such system to form over the sea during that period. "Such systems and trough lines remain active during monsoon, which bring showers. However, it fluctuates from time to time," said the director, adding that rain was less likely to occur during the games.

Heavy rainfall has lashed the city in the past 24 hours, triggering a fear among sports lovers and administrators about the weather condition during the sports event. "The rain was heavier yesterday. I was stuck at a hideout for more than four hours. The rain instils a fear about the condition during the games," said Girija Sahu, a resident of Nayapalli.

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, on the other hand, remained on toes to prevent untoward situations which might arise because of the bad weather condition. "We have already cleaned and cleared the roads and drains. Chances of waterlogging are very less. If it happens, we have put nine suction pumps on standby to clear the water," said mayor Ananta Narayan Jena.

The city received about 68.9mm rain in the past 24 hours, while the minimum temperature went down to 24.2°C here today.

"The rain has come as a relief for us. I hope that the monsoon will remain normal this year unlike last year. It would help a major section of people, including farmers," said Damana resident Rituparna Acharya.