Bengaluru/Mangaluru, May 18: Even before the monsoon sets in, many parts of Karnataka are receiving heavy to very heavy rainfall and the same situation is likely to continue throughout the week.
Most parts of Bengaluru recorded heavy rainfall early last night, flooding streets and homes, jamming traffic and stopping road users in their tracks.
Heavy rains along with thunderstorms lashed Mangaluru and other parts of coastal Karnataka. Chamarajanagar, Tumakuru, Shivamogga, Hassan and other parts of south-interior Karnataka received moderate spells of rain with thunderstorms and gusty winds up to 30-40 kilometre per hour during the evening.
Rainwater entered many homes in a slum in Narasimha Colony, South Bengaluru.
The BBMP control room received complaints of flooding from 15 localities, including Indiranagar, Mahadevapura, Hosakerehalli, Jeevanbima Nagar and Mahadevapura.
According to data recorded at 10 pm, at least three zones in the BBMP received about 10 cm of rainfall in just half an hour. These were East (10.05 cm), South (11.3 cm), and West (10 cm).
A group of citizens who run a Twitter account dedicated to Bengaluru’s weather said the rainfall had crossed 10 cm in some places.
Authorities have declared an orange alert for Bengaluru on Wednesday, meaning there will be heavy rainfall in several parts of the city and authorities must be prepared.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a generally cloudy sky with a few spells of rain or thundershowers for the next five days.
Throughout the week
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has sounded orange and red alerts (heavy to very heavy rainfall) in all districts of coastal Karnataka on Wednesday and Thursday. The rains will mainly occur as a result of moisture-laden strong westerly winds in the Arabian Sea and a few other systems, according to the weatherman.
“The strong westerlies are blowing towards the coasts of Kerala and Karnataka at 1.5 km above sea level. There is also an upper air cyclonic circulation at 3.6-5.8 km above sea level in Lakshadweep, which is prevailing over Tamil Nadu and its neighbourhood. There is a north-south trough extending 900 metres above mean sea level from Madhya Pradesh to Tamil Nadu across interior Karnataka. All of this will result in heavy rainfall in the State for the next few days,” said a scientist at IMD Bengaluru.
In all, districts of south-interior Karnataka, yellow alert has been issued on Tuesday and orange alert has been issued on Wednesday and Thursday by the IMD. Ahead of the alerts in coastal Karnataka, district administrations of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi have advised people to stay cautious and not enter waterbodies. They have also advised the fishermen to not enter the sea for three days.
Even though the intensity might subside for a while before monsoon sets in, the rainfall across the State is expected to continue through next week too. “It can be said that summer is mostly over in the State. These rain spells will be followed by the monsoon, which will set across the State between June 7 and 10,” a scientist explained.
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