Bengaluru braces for heavy pre-monsoon showers & gusty winds as yellow alert issued for next 3 days

Bengaluru: Bengaluru is bracing for an intense spell of rain as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow alert for the city, forecasting persistent pre-monsoon thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds reaching up to 40 kmph.

According to N Puviarasan, Head of the IMD Bengaluru Centre, a high moisture incursion from the Arabian Sea and shifting wind patterns have created atmospheric instability highly favourable for severe weather.

With the IMD predicting these unstable weather conditions to last over the next three days, the city witnessed 44.2 mm of rainfall, while HAL recorded 3.8 mm and KIAL recorded 2.4 mm of rain on Thursday.

IMD Senior scientist C S Patil said, "The Southwest Monsoon is expected to make landfall in Kerala around May 26, give or take four to five days, and is highly likely to advance into Karnataka during the first week of June."

While June is anticipated to receive normal rainfall, Patil issued a note of caution for the latter half of the season. "An El Niño condition is projected to emerge in the Pacific Ocean starting July. This will weaken the trade winds and subsequently reduce the frequency of low-pressure systems forming over the Bay of Bengal. Consequently, while some districts will see normal rainfall, several parts of Karnataka may experience a deficit as the monsoon progresses."

Patil added that annual rainfall variations remain highly district-dependent based on a 30-year average baseline. "For instance, Bagalkot might see around 60 cm of annual rain, Bengaluru generally averages close to 100 cm, Belagavi around 80 cm, while coastal pockets like Mangaluru and Agumbe can register a staggering 350 cm and 760 cm respectively."

Explaining the current severe pre-monsoon activity, Patil attributed it to a low-level wind convergence zone and wind discontinuity interacting with high ground temperatures. "The intense heating of the land, coupled with ample moisture being drawn from both the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, acts as a trigger mechanism that forces hot, humid air to rise rapidly," he explained.