Darkness descended by Sunday afternoon and then began a long downpour accompanied by thunderstorms and hailstones, bringing both joy and misery to the city. As social media was flooded with joyful posts about Bengaluru’s forgiving weather after a spate of rather hot days, the rain threw life out of gear, as it has come to.
Though the rainfall recorded was moderate, in the range of 31 to 64 mm, most of it during a short window created a huge impact. Not just two-wheelers, even four-wheelers were seen stopping by as the visibility on the road was very low. “It was dark — like 7 p.m. at 4 p.m. — and the rain was so heavy that the visibility on the road became very poor. I stopped by till the rain reduced and visibility improved,” said Chennabasappa, a commuter on Ballari Road.
A tree fell on a BMTC bus on K.G. Road in Upparpet traffic police station limits. No injuries were reported. Traffic was diverted on the road for some time.
Heavy rain disrupted events at Khelo India University Games at Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday. | Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR
Apart from bus stops, large numbers of people — either passengers or passersby — were stuck at several metro stations across the city as they waited for the rain to subside. The heavy downpour also saw water entering Namma Metro trains — an unusual sight in the usually meticulously maintained trains. Events at Khelo India were also disrupted.
Many key roads across the city were inundated with ankle-deep water, posing a serious challenge for commuters to navigate. BVK Iyengar Road, Seshadri Road near Freedom Park, Okalipuram, Kanakapura Road, Jayamahal Road, and several roads in Koramangala were also flooded. Surprisingly, there was flooding even on the Sirsi Circle flyover. Several underpasses, including one at Kodigehalli, had knee-length water.
Many electricity poles and trees fell during the rain in Bengaluru Urban and Bengaluru Rural districts on Sunday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“There was flooding on most roads and riding a bike was such a risky scenario on Sunday. Many vehicles were seen breaking down on the road,” said Shankar Prasad, a commuter who was caught in the rain. Complaints of water gushing into homes were recorded in some pockets of Kaval Byrasandra and Uttarahalli.
Over 20 tree-falls were recorded in the city, seven including a coconut tree in BTM Layout alone. More tree-falls were reported from Kengeri, Whitefield, Arakere, Koramangala, and Srirampuram, BBMP officials said.
Vehicles ply on a road during heavy rain in Bengaluru on Sunday | Photo Credit: PTI
Power disruptions were reported across the city. Across Bengaluru, over 170 electricity poles were damaged and fell and more than 160 trees were uprooted, officials said.
High temperatures caused rain, hailstones
Temperatures soaring recently caused the rain in the city and south-interior Karnataka on Saturday night and Sunday evening, A. Prasad, scientist, Meteorological Centre, Bengaluru, said. “When the temperatures rise and there is a trough system, they interact and cause what we call convective rains. There is a trough from Vidarbha in Maharashtra to Telangana and Tamil Nadu, which has had an impact on south-interior Karnataka,” he said.
Manoj Rajan, Commissioner, Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Cell, said hailstones were a localised phenomenon due to recent rise in temperatures and speedy wind. He also said hailstones were common during pre-monsoon showers.
More rain in store
The India Meteorological Department has forecast thundershowers, at times heavy rain accompanied by gusty winds with speed reaching up to 30-40 kmph, over the next 24 hours for the city and thundershowers for the next 48 hours. IMD has also forecast mist in the morning.
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