Heavy rains batter Bengaluru; yellow alert issued across Karnataka

Heavy rains led to widespread waterlogging, traffic jams, and uprooted trees in Bengaluru, as the IMD issued a yellow alert for the city and much of Karnataka

Heavy rain accompanied by gusty winds lashed Bengaluru on Tuesday afternoon and evening, leading to widespread waterlogging, tree falls, and traffic congestion across the city. The downpour brought temporary relief from the heat, with temperatures dipping to 32 degrees Celsius — 1.3 degrees Celsius below the seasonal average.

 

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported 34.2 mm of rain in the city, with 41 mm recorded in the HAL Old Airport area and 33.5 mm in Bengaluru Urban. A yellow alert has been issued for Bengaluru and several other districts in Karnataka, including Bengaluru Rural, Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Tumakuru, Udupi, Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Bidar, and Uttara Kannada, till Thursday. The IMD forecast also includes strong winds (30–50 kmph) and thundershowers.

 

 

Several key areas, particularly in east Bengaluru, were severely affected. Roads in Whitefield, Marathahalli, Hebbal, and Banaswadi were inundated, resulting in major traffic jams during peak hours. Manyata Tech Park was among the worst-hit, with employees sharing visuals of flooded roads on social media.

 

“Another year, same story! Heavy rains = water logging at Manyata Tech Park. Roads flooded, commutes ruined, productivity hampered. How long will this go on?” a user posted on X.

 

Another year, same story!  Heavy rains = waterlogging at Manyata Tech Park. Roads flooded, commutes ruined, productivity hampered.  How long will this go on?@BBMPofficial & @embassy_reit please take urgent steps to improve the drainage infrastructure here.#BangaloreRains pic.twitter.com/UtlJOxszg3

— Venkata Shreyas K ???????? (@kvshreyastweets) May 13, 2025

 

Meanwhile, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) control room received a high volume of complaints. The civic body’s forest wing reported 36 trees uprooted and 121 branches down across the city. A large tree fell on a car in Yelachenahalli, but no injuries were reported. BBMP teams worked to clear debris and desilt roadside drains to ease water flow. Bengaluru Traffic Police assisted in managing congestion in affected areas.

 

Private weather blogger Namma Karnataka Weather (@namma\_vjy) reported East Banaswadi as the highest rainfall zone at 37.5 mm, followed by HAL Airport (35 mm), Cottonpet (25.5 mm), and Marathahalli (24.5 mm). 

 

Monsoon in Karnataka

 

Meanwhile, the IMD has forecast an early onset of the southwest monsoon in Karnataka. “Normally, it takes four days for the monsoon to travel from Kerala to Karnataka. Hopefully, Karnataka will welcome the monsoon by May-end,” CS Patil, meteorologist, IMD Bengaluru was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

 

IMD officials said the monsoon is expected to arrive over Kerala by May 27, with an error margin of 3–4 days. Based on current models, Karnataka may receive 20 per cent above-average rainfall this season. 

ALSO READ: Cyclone Shakti brewing in Bay of Bengal; monsoon advances over Andaman sea

 

GS Srinivasa Reddy, former director of the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre, told ToI that the monsoon has already advanced into parts of the South Bay of Bengal, South Andaman Sea, and Nicobar Islands. “Even if it weakens due to westerlies or other systems, it will be delayed by only 4–5 days and may enter Karnataka by June 1 or 2,” he said.

 

According to the IMD, India is likely to receive 104 per cent of the average monsoon rainfall, with surplus rain expected in southern Karnataka and satisfactory rain in the northern parts.  

  ALSO READ: Cyclone Shakti brewing in Bay of Bengal; monsoon advances over Andaman sea