Bengaluru records 105.5 mm rainfall in 24 hours: Report

The only higher recent record was in May 2022, when the city saw 114.6 mm. The all-time highest May rainfall stands at 153.9 mm, recorded on May 6, 1909.

A relentless spell of pre-monsoon showers has put Bengaluru on the brink of breaking a century-old rainfall record for May. 

Commuters wade through a severly waterlogged road after incessant rainfall in several parts of the region, at Sai Layout in Bengaluru on Monday. (Savitha)

The city recorded 105.5 mm of rain in just 24 hours, from 8.30 am on Sunday to 8.30 am on Monday, marking the second-highest 24-hour May rainfall since 2011, The Hindu reported.

The only higher recent record was in May 2022, when the city saw 114.6 mm. The all-time highest May rainfall stands at 153.9 mm, recorded on May 6, 1909.

According to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), both the HAL Airport and Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) recorded substantial rainfall, 78.3 mm and 105.5 mm, respectively. Curiously, no rain was recorded at the Bengaluru City meteorological station until 530 pm on Sunday. The entire deluge occurred between then and early Monday morning.

Rain gauges across the city reflected the intensity. Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) data showed over 100 mm of rainfall in several areas between Sunday morning and Monday evening. Kengeri topped the list with 132 mm, followed by GEO Campus in Bengaluru (125.8 mm), Somashettihalli (119.5 mm), Madanayakanahalli (116.5 mm), and Yelahanka Chowdeshwari (103.5 mm), the report added.

With ten days still left in the month and more rain in the forecast, Bengaluru has already received 24.6 cm of rainfall as of May 19. If the trend continues, the city is likely to surpass its highest-ever May rainfall, 30.5 cm recorded just last year in 2023.

Wettest May

“This May could become the wettest ever,” said N Puviarasan, head of the Meteorological Centre in Bengaluru. “In another two days, we might cross the 30 cm mark,” he said according to a report in Deccan Herald.

The IMD's latest forecast, issued at 5.30 pm on Monday, predicts generally cloudy skies, with moderate to heavy rainfall likely across the city and surrounding areas. 

Thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds reaching up to 50 km/h are also expected. Daytime temperatures are expected to hover around 27°C, with minimum temperatures close to 20°C.

By Monday evening, rainfall in the city had tapered slightly, Bengaluru received 24 mm until 5.30 pm, while HAL and KIA reported 3 mm and 0.2 mm, respectively.