Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Oct 4: Heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms lashed various parts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts over the weekend, providing much-needed relief to the coastal region from the sweltering heat.
In Mangaluru, sudden heavy showers began around 5 pm on Saturday, causing waterlogging on roads and resulting in traffic jams across the city. The district experienced heavy rainfall with thunder throughout Saturday evening and night. Prior to the rain, Mangaluru recorded a maximum temperature of 33.3 degrees Celsius, which was 2.8 degrees Celsius above normal.
Puttur taluk has been receiving continuous rain for the last three days. Several villages in Beltangady taluk, including Charmadi, Kakkinje, Neriya, Mundaje, and Ujire, also witnessed moderate to heavy showers.
In a rain-related incident, a house belonging to Purushotham in Devashyamudoor village was partially damaged due to a lightning strike on the night of October 2. The electrical wiring and appliances were gutted, and the roof sheets were broken. Moderate rain was also reported in Manjeshwar and Badiyadka in the neighbouring Kasargod district on Saturday night.
In Udupi district, moderate rainfall was recorded on Saturday evening in Kaup, Shirva, Belve, and Goliyangadi, while Udupi city and Manipal experienced scattered showers. On Sunday, Karkala and Hebri taluks received heavy rainfall with intense thunder and lightning from the afternoon until the evening. The thunderstorms caused power outages and damaged electrical appliances in Karkala, Bajagoli, Sanur, Kervashe, and Bailoor.
The sudden showers have brought significant relief to the agricultural sector, providing essential moisture to arecanut, paddy, and coconut plantations that were suffering from the rising temperatures.
An unusual winter-like dense fog was observed during the morning hours across Mangaluru, Udupi, Manipal, Hebri, and Karkala on both Saturday and Sunday. The fog particularly caused inconvenience to motorists travelling towards the Agumbe Ghat area.
In the 24 hours ending at 8:30 am on Saturday, Dharmasthala recorded the state's highest rainfall of 3 cm. Puttur, Mani, Beltangady, and Uppinangady received 1 cm each.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast, the coastal districts are likely to continue experiencing light to moderate rainfall over the next two days.