Rain relief for hot, humid Bengal

Kolkata: Puddles of rain water were formed on some major throughfares as pre-monsoon showers brought much-needed relief from the sweltering heat and humidity for residents of the eastern metropolis on Saturday.

The spells of nagging ran and thundershowers began in the morning and continued through the day bringing down the mercury level.

The regional Met office predicted thundershowers for several West Bengal districts like Howrah, Hooghly, North and South 24 Parganas and Nadia.

"While it will not rain continuously but there will be rainfall in several areas," a met official said, adding the maximum temperature would drop below 36 degree Celsius.

On the roads, people huddled under umbrellas and took shelter in nearby buildings as the downpour began.

Puddles of rainwater dotted stretches along the Eastern Metropolitan bypass and several other roads while traffic slowed to a snail's pace in busy intersections.

Netizens expressed delight on Twitter and Facebook and uploaded photographs of themselves enjoying the showers.

The clouds had continued to play hide-and-seek through last week with the searing heat hitting daily life.