The Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre has issued moderate flood alerts owing to the intermittent moderate to heavy rainfall across many parts of Bengaluru city on Friday.
Speaking to TNM, Subha Avinash, Project Scientist (Hydrologist) at KSNDMC said that flood alerts have been issued across four zones of the city.
“One of the recording stations in Bommanahalli Zone has recorded 20mm of rainfall so far. It is likely to go up with the forecast and the present cloud formation,” she said.
Widespread, moderate rainfall alongside thunderstorm activity with gusty winds was predicted across the city for Friday.
The KSNDMC alert on Friday evening read, “The real-time rainfall shows moderate flooding in flood vulnerable location of Bommanahalli Zone, South Zone, Mahadevapura zone, and East Zone of BBMP area.”
However, if you received a message stating that a cyclone will be hitting Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa and Maharashtra, it’s a hoax.
A message stating, “A storm called Sagar is going to hit Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Maharashtra with in 24 hours on today, at starting the wind speed will be 70 to 80 kmph and later it gradually increases to 90 - 100 kmph,” is doing the rounds in Bengaluru and other parts of the state.
The message is mostly being forwarded along with a satellite image of the south Indian peninsula covered in clouds.
Sunil Gavaskar, meteorologist at Karnataka State Disaster Monitoring Centre clarified that Cyclone Sagar had originated last week.
“Cyclone Sagar was in action last week. Now another cyclone – Mekunu cyclone has originated. It is not impacting India at the moment however; currently it is at Yemen, south east of Oman Coast,” Gavaskar said.
IMD has classified Mekunu as an Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm and has forecasted that it will reduce to a depression by Sunday. Fishermen are advised not to venture into West Central Arabian Sea till May 26.
“Gale winds speed reaching 160-170 kmph gusting to 180 Kmph is very likely to prevail over westcentral Arabian Sea during next 15 hours and wind gradually decrease becoming 120-130 kmph gusting to 145 kmph in subsequent 06 hours over Westcentral Arabian Sea,” the IMD said in a release.
Explaining the rainfall and thunderstorm in Bengaluru, Gavaskar said, “This rainfall is due to the trough which is going over Karnataka, and there is also an upper air cyclonic circulation near Tamil Nadu coast, due to which we are getting additional rainfall.”
“The ongoing rains have no connection with the cyclones. These rains will be slow and continuous. We are expecting good amount of rainfall for the next 24 hours. Some parts of Bengaluru have already received 14-15 mm of rainfall,” he added.
Monsoon is set to arrive in Kerala on May 28 or 29, according to IMD.
“IMD has already declared that south-west monsoon has entered Andamans through South Andaman Sea,” Gavaskar said.