Second straight evening of heavy rain in Bengaluru; hailstorm disrupts traffic

Bengaluru: Heavy rain lashed large swathes of Bengaluru for the second consecutive evening on Wednesday, with areas such as MG Road, Kalyan Nagar, Horamavu, Ballari Road, Jayanagar, Banashankari, Majestic, Shantinagar, and Koramangala witnessing a hailstorm.

Accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning, the late-evening rain caused waterlogging and slowed traffic to a crawl, leaving motorists heading home after work frustrated.

Key stretches affected included Old Madras Road, Pai Layout, Mahadevapura, Allalasandra Main Road, Chokkasandra flyover, Bilekahalli–Arekere Road, Kogilu Road, Binny Mill Road, and Hunasemara Junction Road.

According to data from the Varunamitra dashboard by the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), as of 9.30 pm on Wednesday, Yelahanka recorded the highest rainfall at 28.5 mm, followed by Bommanahalli at 18.5 mm and Bengaluru South at 12 mm.

Heavy rainfall was reported in northern parts of the city, including Jakkur (2.5 cm), Chowdeshwari (2.4 cm), Byatarayanapura (2.1 cm), and Vidyaranyapura (1.9 cm). In South Bengaluru, areas such as Arekere (1.85 cm) also recorded significant rainfall.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted more thundershowers on Thursday.