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Rain in Bengaluru breaks 133-yr-old record, brings IT hub to its knees
As per the weather office, Hampi Nagar logged the highest rainfall of 110.50mm, followed by Maruti Mandira ward with 89.50mm, Vidyapeetha with 88.50mm, and Cottonpet with 87.50mm.
Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Monday laid out an action plan and instructed the officials concerned to work in tandem to avert any untoward incident as India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted heavy rains in Bengaluru in the next 24 hours. Shivakumar convened a meeting and took stock of the situation after the Karnataka capital witnessed its wettest day in the month of June with 111mm rainfall by 11.30pm on Sunday, breaching its 133-year record of highest single-day downpour of 101.6mm on June 16, 1891.
As per the weather office, Hampi Nagar logged the highest rainfall of 110.50mm, followed by Maruti Mandira ward with 89.50mm, Vidyapeetha with 88.50mm, and Cottonpet with 87.50mm. The IMD had also predicted moderate to heavy thunderstorms and strong, gusty winds of 30 to 40 km per hour on Monday.
However, Bengaluru did not report any rain on Monday.
According to IMD Bengaluru director N Puviarasan, from 1901 to 2024, it was for the first time this year that the city weather observatory recorded no rain in April. Typically, Bengaluru sees an average of 110.3mm of rainfall for the entire month of June. However, in just Saturday and Sunday, the city has already surpassed this average, recording over 120mm of rain, according to IMD officials. Data from the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) indicated that rainfall was consistent across Bengaluru, ranging from moderate to heavy showers over these two days.
Meanwhile, torrential rain on Sunday brought the city to a standstill as several trees were uprooted and branches of many trees came crashing down, damaging houses and vehicles, blocking roads and causing traffic snarls. The uprooted trees also temporarily disrupted metro services on the Purple Line. The metro services were restored later, allowing normal operations to resume from Challaghatta to Whitefield.
“Due to a tree branch falling on the metro tracks just after Trinity Station towards MG road trains are operating only between Indiranagar to Whitefield and MG road to Challaghatta from 7.26 pm. Efforts are on to clear the branch and resume normal operations,” Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) wrote on X on Sunday night.
The heavy rainfall also caused severe waterlogging in several areas, posing major challenges for commuters. MN Anucheth, Joint Commissioner of Traffic, wrote on his X handle, “Due to heavy rains, we have had waterlogging at 58 locations and tree falls at 39 locations on important arterial roads of Bengaluru. Congestion is high. Civic Agencies are working to clear the roads.”
In the wake of the situation, Shivakumar directed officials concerned to evacuate those residing in old, dilapidated buildings and told them to ensure that there are no casualties due to rain. He also asked officials to work in tandem with the NDRF and SDRF teams. They were also told to prevent water from stormwater drains from getting mixed with drinking water in the city.
“India Meteorology Department (IMD) has said heavy rains are likely in the next 24 hours. Everyone has to work as a team. I have given this direction,” he said.
The weather department has also sounded a yellow alert for Bengaluru, predicting a cloudy sky and intermittent rain or thundershowers on June 4 and 5. During these days, maximum temperatures are expected to hover between 31 and 32 degrees Celsius, while minimum temperatures will range from 20-21 degrees Celsius.
