BENGALURU: A sudden pre-monsoon thunderstorm turned parts of northern Bengaluru into a winter wonderland for 15 minutes on Tuesday evening, with hailstones pelting Yelahanka, Devanahalli, Sanjay Nagar, Lottegollahalli, RMV II Stage, BEL Road and parts of Vidyaranyapura, while the rest of the city received sporadic rain.
Residents reported thunder, lightning and gusty winds accompanied by hailstones that blanketed streets and rooftops. Social media exploded with videos of pebble-sized hails bouncing off cars and roads in Yelahanka New Town.
MK Sahas, a law student at the REVA University campus in Yelahanka, said, “The magical hailstorm rain started at 7:30 pm and lasted 15 minutes.” K Vivek Joyappa said, “A sudden downpour in Sanjay Nagar brought in hailstones much to everyone’s surprise. Hail and showers are welcome because they bring down the temperatures.”
While central, southern and eastern parts of the city experienced only pre-monsoon rain- bringing welcome relief from the scorching March heat that had pushed temperatures into the mid-30s - the hail was strictly to the northern outskirts.
Meteorologists say this patchy intensity is typical of fast-forming convective cells fuelled by clashing moisture and rising heat. The IMD had forecast light to moderate thundershowers with gusty winds across Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts, but no one expected the dramatic hail display.
The total rainfall for the entire city as observed by the central observatory till 8.30 pm on Tuesday was around 1.6 mm.