Heavy rain lashes Nashik, thick fog wraps Kasara ghat

NASHIK: The residents of Nashik not only had its first tryst with heavy rain this monsoon on Wednesday but had a difficult time travelling to Mumbai with the roads through the Kasara ghat remaining enveloped in a thick fog cover on Wednesday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded 40.1 mm of rain in the past 24 hours, twice the shower the city received in June so far.Till June 22, the city has received 75 mm of rain as against 26.2 mm in the entire month of June last year.
Light rain continued till 5.30pm in the city, which is likely to receve heavy downpour in the next couple of days. Those travelling between Nashik and Mumbai faced extreme difficulties along the stretches of the Kasara ghat because of extreme poor visibility caused by a tick cover of fog.
According to figures provided by the district administration, Igatpuri taluka received the maximum rain measuring 98 mm, followed by Trimbakeshwar with 45 mm. Nashik district has so far received 1,204.1 mm of rain this year.
On Monday, the maximum temperature was recorded at 25.8 degrees Celsius and the minimum was 22.4 degrees Celsius. The relative humidity in the evening increased to 95% as against 90% in the morning.
The weather department has forecast more rain in the next couple of days. Medha Khole, the deputy director general for weather forecasting at IMD, Pune, said showers were expected across widespread areas during the next 48 hours. “The rain would be less on June 24 and 25. However, heavy showers are once again likely in isolated area on June 26,” she added.
“A low pressure area has been formed over the northeast Arabian Sea off the Gujarat coast and a trough exists extending from south Gujarat to north Kerala coast, triggering the rain,” Khole added.
Additional deputy superintendent of police (highways) Ramesh Chaudhary, said the dense fog cover was reported since Sunday night and continued throught Monday morning on the Nashik-Mumbai highway. “Though the afternoon was relatively clear, the Ghatandevi area went into the fog cover in the evening. No landslide or mishap has been reported from any part of the district so far,” he added.