In just 24 hours, the city nearly filled its quota of ‘normal’ rainfall for April.
In perspective, the 34 mm rainfall the city received (between Saturday morning and Sunday morning) is the highest recorded in April so far over the past three years.
Overcast skies continued to envelop the city on Sunday, leaving numerous commuters huddling under flyovers and trees, and jostling for space by shops till the drizzle abated. Indian Metrological Department (IMD), which categorises the rain as pre-monsoon showers, recorded 2 mm of rainfall between 8.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. on Sunday. Though the intensity had reduced, the drizzle continued for most of the day.
On Sunday, BBMP workers attended to a tree fall at the busy Rajiv Gandhi Circle, near Sampige Road, as well as at Palace Guttahalli, both of which caused disruptions in traffic. For some citizens, the drizzle induced nostalgia of the city of yore, when summers were tempered unlike the 36 degrees Celcius experienced over the past week. The rain saw the minimum temperature dip to 20 degrees C, while the daytime average was around 25 degrees C.
Power cuts
Power supply was affected in several parts of the city following the rain. Many residents of areas in the east and south Bengaluru had to put up with power cuts. Several residents also flooded Bangalore Electricity Supply Company’s control room with distress calls. According to Bescom officials, between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Sunday, the control room received 5,788 complaints. Of these, 1,597 were yet to be redressed by around 10 p.m.
Cloud over IPL match
The Met Department predicts rain and thunderstorms for the next two days at least. The news, however, may just rain on the parade of the Indian Premier League match between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) scheduled here for Monday. Tom Moody, head coach of SRH, tweeted in some dismay, “Just landed in Bangalore - from extreme heat to heavy rain. Forecast not looking great.”
