BENGALURU: After a hot and humid buildup over the past week, sudden, sharp thundershowers on Friday afternoon spread cheer throughout the city. With the season’s first rain, Bengaluru appeared to have switched on its air-conditioning, and whimsically returned to the city of the 70s.
The showers came as a much-needed respite as they not just served to cool the temperature, but also the wind.The weatherman said the city received 1.7 mm rainfall, HAL received 1 mm and KIA recorded 3.6mm, and has forecast rainfall for the next 12 hours over the city.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) - Bengaluru officials said that the rainfall was due to local convection and sufficient moisture in the air leading to cloud formation. These are pre-monsoon showers, though not the first, they said. On March 3, there was rainfall, but just a trace.
The city’s maximum temperature over the past three days has been hovering around 34-35o C, which is 1-2 degree above the normal of 33o C.With the sudden downpour, traffic moved at snail’s pace in East and North Bengaluru. Many people found themselves in knee-deep water and riding on slushy roads. At Ballari Road flyover, a traffic police official was not just managing traffic standing in water, but was also seen cleaning a drain for the water to flow down the flyover.
With the sudden change in temperature and spell of rain, doctors are advising caution against viral fevers.
Dr Manohar KN, consulting physician, Manipal Hospital, said the possibility of viral infections increase with rain, and the country is already in the grip of the coronavirus stage-2 fear. “It is advisable for people to stay indoors, self-quarantine and maintain social distance. Since there is a threat, there is a need to exercise all precautionary measures,” he added.