Rain falls over Bengaluru after 147 days of dry weather

The protracted drought in the city is over. Residents were happy to see the first rains of the season on Friday, sharing footage of the rain and strong gusts on social media. The good news is that further thundershowers are expected on Saturday night for the city and its surroundings. With 147 days of dry weather following a string of depressing defeats, the rain gave optimism that the city might cool off.

The city, which had become a heat island, has felt respite from the rains, even if just a small portion of it received 8 to 10 mm of rain.

Rain gauges operated by the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) in the suburbs recorded only light rain till 8.30 p.m. on Friday, despite the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) rain gauges recording no rainfall. Kengeri saw 1 mm of rain, while Bengaluru North’s Cholanayakanahalli, Chunchukuppe, and Sulikere each saw 9 mm, and Bengaluru South’s Sulenahalli saw 8 mm.

According to the IMD, Saturday night will bring partly overcast skies along with the possibility of rain or thundershowers.

For the next 48 hours, the highest and lowest temperatures are predicted to be between 36 and 23 degrees Celsius, respectively.