Bengaluru,19  Sept

Heavy overnight rains battered Bengaluru, bringing the city to a standstill on Friday with waterlogging in several low-lying areas and traffic snarls on key stretches.

The downpour, which began late Thursday night, continued intermittently on Friday morning.

Bengaluru city recorded 65.5 mm rainfall in the past 24 hours till 5.30 am, with the city’s Automatic Weather Station (AWS) reporting 66 mm. Doddaballapura received 60 mm, Chandurayanahalli in Ramanagara 46 mm, and Hessarghatta in Bengaluru Rural 43 mm.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for Bengaluru, predicting light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by lightning and gusty winds reaching 30–40 kmph at isolated places. Vijayapura, Bidar, Kalaburagi, Tumakuru, Kolar, and Chikkaballapura are also under yellow alert.

Significant rainfall was reported across Karnataka.

According to Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), Kanagamakalapalli in Chikkaballapura district recorded 130 mm, followed by Tirumani (114 mm), Beechaganahalli (114 mm), Chelur_1 (101 mm), and Bhandarkumtha in Bidar district (112 mm). Gadag received 51.9 mm, Ramanagara’s Chandurayanahalli 46 mm, Tamaka in Kolar 21.5 mm, while Mangaluru reported 20.7 mm. Gulbarga Observatory reported dry thunder.

The IMD cautioned that heavy rain could cause temporary power outages, waterlogging, and uprooting of weak tree branches.

“Take safe shelters; do not take shelter under trees. Unplug electrical and electronic appliances immediately. Get out of water bodies and stay away from objects that conduct electricity. Drive carefully if you are travelling,” the IMD advisory said.

The continuous rainfall has led to new potholes, further inconveniencing commuters, particularly two-wheeler riders.