Moderate rainfall along with isolated heavy rainfall and thunderstorm activity was observed across Karnataka including Bengaluru on Wednesday afternoon resulting in minor waterlogging. According to the Karnataka State Disaster Monitoring Centre, Sampangiram Nagar witnessed the highest rainfall in the city with 94mm of rainfall while Lalbagh recording station saw 80mm of rainfall.

KR Circle underpass was flooded and complaints of waterlogging on Mysore Road flyover were received, according to a Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike official. The KSNDMC in its latest flood alert said the isolated high intensity rainfall in Bengaluru is expected to inundate low lying areas like Siddapura, Wilson Garden, KR Market and Shanthinagar in South zone. Some low-lying areas in East Zone such as KR Puram and Byappanahlli may also experience minor inundation.

Videos circulating on social media, however, showed many stretches of the city’s roads under ankle deep water slowing down traffic movement.

Besides Bengaluru, isolated heavy rainfall was recorded in many districts including Raichur, Haveri, Kalaburgi, Belagavi, Dakshina Kannada, Shivamogga, Ballari. Tumakuru, Chitradurga and Mandya.

The rainfall is a result of cyclonic circulation over north Karnataka, and a trough over Tamil Nadu and adjacent areas. Weathermen had also predicted rainfall not only in Bengaluru but moderate rains for most of the state except northern fringes of the state.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday in its bulletin had also said heavy rainfall is likely to occur at isolated places over Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts with over 65mm of rainfall on both days for the same weather condition.   

The rains come at a time when 100 out of the 175 taluks in the state has been affected by droughts. This is the fourth straight drought year the state is facing, and as things stand 9 lakh hectares of targeted sown land went unsown during the Kharif season. Another additional 20 lakh hectares of sown land has reported crop loss.