Bosky Khanna/ENS
Bangalore, May 2: Rapid urbanisation has not only proved expensive for the city’s development, it is now turning out to be disastrous. Hailstorms are an uncommon phenomenon in the city, normally once in three years. This year, however, Bangalore experienced two hailstorms in a month.
According to the Agro-Climatic Atlas, Karnataka is not a hailstorm-prone area, but could receive ice crystals annually.
Speaking to this website’s newspaper, City Meteorological Centre’s Director-in-charge A. Muthachami said: "Hailstorms were uncommon in Karnataka and their sudden occurrence was due to increasing turbulence and a dip in temperatures. Urbanisation and changing lifestyle is also a contributor.
Apart from this, increasing humidity due to the cyclonic storm in the Bay of Bengal had triggered hailstorms followed by thunder and showers. Rainfall is also likely in the coming days."
He added that May was an unlikely month for hailstorms. They are common in North and East India,which are hailstorm-prone areas, and not during the pre-monsoon showers in Karnataka.
The Disaster Management Report Events of the City Meteorological Department also reveal that Karnataka is the least hailstorm-prone area.
Hailstorms occur when temperatures in the clouds located 15-16 km above ground level dips to zero degree Celsius. They fall due to increasing cloud density and humidity.
Cloud density, movement and vigour are the guiding factors that determine the location of the ice crystals, pointed Muthachami.
The Met centre, however, had never recorded the quantity and timings of hailstorms, as is the case with rainfall, since it is an uncommon phenomenon. But this rapid occurrence has compelled the department to take action and record the findings.
"Due to their periodic occurrence, measures are being taken to record the occurrence of hailstorms in the future as well. Also, it has not been recorded as no hailstorms were reported in the observatory area of the centre. But now measures are being taken to take into account all these factors," he added.