June 2024 could be Bengaluru’s wettest on record

Bengaluru: This month of June could be the wettest in Bengaluru’s history since record keeping began in 1867.

As of 8.30am on Sunday, the city has recorded 203mm of rainfall.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts that widespread moderate rainfall will continue till Thursday. The city’s wettest June on record was in 1996, when 228.02 mm of rain fell.

Bengaluru experienced its wettest day in June on June 2 this year with rainfall of 111.11 mm, breaking a 133-year-old record. The IMD has forecast light to moderate thundershowers in urban and rural districts of Bengaluru till Saturday.

IMD official CS Patil stated that a cyclonic circulation continues over the northeast and adjoining eastern central Bay of Bengal between 3.1 and 5.8 km above sea level. A trough, or low pressure area at mean sea level, runs along the southern coast of Maharashtra and the northern coast of Kerala. Lower level winds are likely to strengthen along the West Coast over the next three days.

“Consequently, coastal areas of Karnataka and southern interior Karnataka are likely to receive widespread rainfall, with isolated heavy rainfall at many places in northern interior Karnataka,” he stated.

The IMD has forecast extremely heavy rainfall in Uttara Kannada, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Shivamogga and Kodagu and has issued an orange alert in these districts till Thursday, Patil said.

Further, due to isolated heavy rainfall forecast, yellow alert has been issued for Bidar, Kalaburagi, Belagavi, Dharwad, Haveri, Mysuru and Chamarajanagar till Tuesday.

Rains in Karnataka over the next week are likely to be accompanied by thundershowers and gusty winds.

The IMD has advised fishermen not to venture into the sea on the Karnataka coast until Wednesday due to stormy weather with wind speeds of around 35-45 kmph, gusting up to 55 kmph.