Bengaluru gets widespread rain, winter-like condition to continue: IMD

Traffic came to a standstill after the downpour at Commercial Street. DH PHOTO/PUSHKAR V

People take cover amid the showers at Commercial Street. DH PHOTO/PUSHKAR V

Widespread rainfall and chilly weather disrupted life in several parts of the city on Thursday.

Indian Meteorological Department officials had issued an Orange alert (Be Prepared) for Thursday, and several areas in the city witnessed light to moderate rainfall all through the day.

With the low-pressure area crossing over the coast of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu around the Chennai region, according to officials, Bengaluru is expected to receive moderate rainfall until Monday.

Witnessing a cloudy condition for the past few days, the city received widespread rainfall.

“In general, the city received a total of 4.2 mm rainfall with the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) witnessing 3.8 mm rainfall and HAL airport reporting 3.5 mm.

“As the low-pressure area is likely to cross over the East Coast on Thursday late evening, a few parts of the city and Bengaluru Rural district may witness heavy rainfall and hence, an Orange alert was issued in those areas,” explained a meteorologist at the IMD observatory in Bengaluru.

Even as light to moderate spells of rain continued to pound the city, an unusual cold wave swept through the city.

“The city witnessed a minimum temperature of 18 degrees Celsius all through the day.

In addition to this, the steady rainfall with light breeze resulted in people experiencing an unusual cold,” explained the IMD official.

According to officials, the cloudy conditions prevailing over Bengaluru will continue for another two to three days under the influence of the prevailing atmospheric condition over the Bay of Bengal.

“Even though the rainfall is expected to come down, the minimum temperature will be around 18 degrees resulting in the continuation of a winter-like situation for another four to five days,” the official explained.

Visibility low, traffic hit

The day-long rainfall with slight haze during the day reduced visibility affecting vehicular movement on several major roads.

Traffic snarls were reported on Airport Road, major roads of the CBD areas and other parts of the city.

However, as the day wore on, the situation improved even though the rains continued to lash the city till late evening.