Rain takes city by surprise

Rain takes city by surprise

Staff Reporter
It was only 6.5 mm of rain; roads were flooded
Rains are attributed to break monsoon period

Overcast skies and rain forecast for next 48 hours

Bangalore: After a gap of several weeks, the city received a sudden spell of rain on Wednesday that brought with it an instant nip in the evening air. The city, which had been largely sheltered from the monsoon that lashed coastal Karnataka all this month, received a modest 6.5 mm of rain.

Modest though it was, the steady downpour was enough to leave roads flooded and residents scurrying for cover. This unexpected showers could be a harbinger of a “break monsoon” period, said director of the meteorological centre A. Muthuchami.

Break monsoon refers to the phase when rainfall begins to decrease over the coast and intensify over the interiors, he said.

Rain and cloudy skies would prevail for the next 48 hours in the city moderating the temperatures too, said Mr. Muthuchami. There had, over the last few weeks, been a gap of over 10 degrees between the maximum and minimum temperatures in the city. Bangalore recorded 21 degrees Celsius (minimum) and 30 degrees Celsius (maximum) on Wednesday.

Several other parts of interior Karnataka are likely to receive rain in the next couple of days, according to the meteorological department’s forecast. “Heavy to very heavy rain” will continue to lash coastal Karnataka and the Western Ghats in the next 48 hours.

Coastal Karnataka recorded heavy rainfall between Tuesday and Wednesday with parts of Udupi and Agumbe receiving 14 cm of rain over the last 24 hours while Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu and Shimoga received between 10 cm and 7 cm of rain.