Bengaluru, (DHNS): The weathermen have issued a flood alert for Bengaluru and several parts of Karnataka. This is the first thundershower and flood warning of the season, and it has been announced just before the monsoon hits Bengaluru in its full force. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued the warning of thundershowers and gusty winds across Bengaluru and the surrounding areas while the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) has issued a flood alert for the next 24 hours for Bengaluru. After the civic authorities and the district administration blamed the weathermen last year for supposedly not issuing the warnings beforehand, the departments have raised the high alert on time this year. The lack of communication had left citizens stranded in their homes for over 24 hours in Bengaluru on August 14 and 15, 2017.

According to the IMD, on August 14, 2017, Bengaluru had received 13 cm of rain. This had brought the city to a grinding halt. To ensure that history does not repeat itself, the two weather departments have announced the warning on all social platforms and through all modes of mass communication. They hope that even if the officials fail to take a note, citizens will stay alert with the announcement.

Regular exercise G S Srinivasa Reddy, Director, KSNDMC, said that issuing warnings was a regular exercise. A warning or alert is issued whenever the charts report more than 12.5 mm in 15 minutes (50 mm in an hour) in a particular area. Looking at past records of Bengaluru and the forecast of heavy rainfall, a flood alert warning has been issued for all low-lying areas of Bengaluru and the surrounding areas. C S Patil, director in-charge, IMD, Bengaluru, said these bouts of rainfall are due to local pressure systems. The warnings were issued as these showers are expected to be more impactful than the monsoon, which covers a larger area. The advancement of the monsoon, coupled with the local systems, will result in short yet heavy spells of rain for the next 24 hours.