Ooty: Even as this hill-station town braces up for the three-day annual flower show beginning Friday with the district administration having declared a local holiday that day, cloudy weather and forecast of heavy rains have dampened its spirits.
The festive mood at the peak of the summer tourist season in Ooty, which usually marks the annual flower show at the Government Botanical Garden (GBG) here, the biggest crowd puller to the hill, has sobered down as the heavily overcast sky threatens to play spoiler.
While Tuesday experienced heavy rains, which saw Coonoor registering 100 mm of rainfall and Ooty 35 mm, weather was little better on Wednesday morning as the downpour’s intensity reduced. However, rains began lashing Ooty again on Wednesday evening.
This summer has certainly been more rainy than usual in the queen of hill stations. Good sunshine last week saw through the rose show with glitter, but the sudden climate change since Monday evening amid rains and chillness has made the hills wetter than expected.
However, the tourism industry and the organizers of the flower show are fervently praying for good weather to return, hoping to ensure that the flower show is a success and attracted more tourists.
Meanwhile, the district administration declared local holiday for all state government offices and educational institutions in Nilgiris on Friday (May 15), the inaugural day of the flower show.
