Residents of Sokoto city and its environs on Tuesday night recorded the first rain in 2017, heaving a sigh of relief.

A total of 53 persons were officially confirmed to have died from meningitis, which was induced by the intense heat recorded in the last two months across the state.

The rain started at midnight and lasted for about one hour, bringing the temperature to below 30 degrees centigrade.

The residents heaved a sigh of relief from the high temperature ranging from 35 degree centigrade to 42 degree centigrade.

The rain was preceded by heavy windstorm that uprooted trees and destroyed building roofs.

The high temperature had hitherto caused many residents to become dehydrated, leading to increased intake of cold drinks.

A cross section of the residents interviewed expressed happiness and thanked God for the rain.

“It has brought succour to us from the intense heat of the past few weeks,’’ a resident, who pleaded anonymity told NAN.

Before the rainfall, many residents had resorted to sleeping at the frontage of their houses at nigh to prevent heat-related diseases like meningitis and measles among others.