The southwest monsoon covered entire Karnataka on Thursday, according to the Meteorological Centre Bengaluru. The State had two back-to-back normal monsoons and is likely to have a normal monsoon season this year too, India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said.
With a low pressure area over west central Bay of Bengal of south Odisha and north Andhra Pradesh, in association with circulation extending up to 7.6 km above sea level, rainfall is predicted over Karnataka in the next five days, with north interior Karnataka getting more rain than south interior, C.S. Patil from IMD Bengaluru told The Hindu.
On the coast
Coastal Karnataka is expected to receive widespread rainfall over the next five days, with the first two days seeing heavy rainfall at a few places and isolated areas receiving very heavy rainfall. The third day will see widespread heavy to very heavy rainfall, and heavy rainfall has been forecast on the fourth day.
“North interior Karnataka will be experiencing widespread rainfall in the next three days, thereafter it will become widespread and then scattered. For the first two days, the region may see very heavy rainfall at isolated places and heavy rainfall on the third day,” Mr. Patil said.
In south interior Karnataka, there will be widespread rainfall in the next three days, with the first two days witnessing heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places, and heavy rainfall at isolated places on the third day. “More rainfall is concentrated over Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Belagavi, Dharwad, Haveri, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Kodagu, Bidar, Kalaburagi, Bagalakot, Koppal, and Gadag,” he said. He added that the remaining districts may experience light to moderate rainfall.
By Thursday morning, the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre had recorded widespread rainfall in Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Shivamogga, Vijayapura and Raichur, among 11 others. Yadgir, Hassan, Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru had recorded fairly widespread rainfall, while 11 districts, including Bengaluru, Mandya and Mysuru, saw scattered rainfall.
Excess last year
Last year, Karnataka received rainfall in excess of 23% during the monsoon period. Alerts have been issued to districts where heavy or very heavy rainfall is forecast, as well as those areas where heavy lightning is expected.