Wet spells to continue this week: IMD

By NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Indian meteorological de par tment (IMD) has forecast thundershowers in the coming days for Bengaluru and other parts of coastal Karnataka, adding that sporadic rains may lash the state until May 8.

IMD had also issued a rain alert for several districts in the state three hours in advance. “Thunderstorm accompanied by lightning with light to moderate spells of rain with gusty wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph likely to affect your district in the next 03 hours,” an official IMD statement said, adding that Bengaluru urban and rural, apart from Mysuru, Dakshina K a n n a d a , U d u p i , G a d a g , Chamarajnagar,Chikkaballapur, Chikkamagalur, Chitradurga, Davangere, Kodagu, Kolar, Mandya, Ramanagar, Tumakuru and Raichur would be affected.

They emphasised that Bengaluru in particular would be on the receiving end of thundershowers in the next 24 to 48 hours. IMD scientist A Prasad said that rain may abate next week. “By May 8 (next Sunday), the rains may abate. As for Bengaluru, it is likely to rain in the evening,” he said.

He added that parts of interior and coastal Karnataka were also affected by the rain. “There were light showers in Karavali (Uttara Kannada district) and Dakshina Kannada, especially Subramanya village in the district which received two cm of rain,” Prasad said. “The trough or alternatively the formation of the low pressure area that is responsible for the rain is off the coast of Telangana, Rayalseema and Tamil Nadu,” he added.

Prasad said that rains on Monday had cooled off parts of the state, amid a scorching summer. Kalaburagi recorded a maximum temperature of 41.5 degrees Celsius, which was one degree less than the usual. Bengaluru’s high was 32.5 degrees, which is 1.2 degrees less than before. Karwar experienced a maximum temperature of 32.4 degrees Celsius, which was also lower than before. This was also the case with Mangaluru district, IMD added.