A spell of moderate to heavy showers left areas in northern Karnataka inundated as the southwest monsoon continued to advance in the state. Rainfall was reported in Vijayapura, Bagalkote, Dharwad, Belagavi, Uttara Kannada and Gadag districts.
In Hubballi, the rains began at 2 pm on Sunday leaving several areas including Neeligin Road and Kamaripet inundated with water. Low-lying areas in the city were waterlogged by the rain.
Similarly, heavy showers and waterlogging were also reported in Belagavi, Gadag, Bagalkot and Uttara Kannada districts. In Arbhavi in Belagavi district, more than 100 mm rainfall was recorded.
"There was heavy rainfall reported in areas of northern Karnataka and we expect the rainfall to continue today (on Monday) but with reduced intensity. This was due to a monsoon circulation over Belagavi and rainfall should reduce tomorrow onwards," explained Srinivas Reddy, of the Director of the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC).
According to officials in Vijayapura district, a resident of Tenalli village in Indi taluk of the district died after he was struck by lightning. Farmers in Indi growing grapes experienced crop loss after rain along with hail affected the area. It also killed several sheep in Indi.
The rains have brought respite to regions in northern Karnataka affected by drought. The Karnataka government had earlier notified that 156 out of 175 taluks in the state were drought-hit. This included most taluks in the state's northern regions.
Despite Sunday night's burst of rain, there has been a deficiency in rainfall in the state by 30 % since the onset of the monsoon. The deficit is particularly acute in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada where rainfall is lesser at this time of the year by 53%, 46% and 37%. respectively.
The monsoon was delayed by several days and belatedly hit the coastal districts in the state on June 14. It has since advanced in the state and brought rains to Bengaluru and other parts.