Bangalore is bracing for a deluge as the Regional Meteorological Department (RMD) issued an orange alert, predicting moderate to heavy rainfall, accompanied by lightning, for Bengaluru urban and Bengaluru rural districts on October 21st. The RMD issued the forecast early this morning, warning of heavy showers expected in the next three hours. The department also cautioned residents to anticipate temporary electricity outages and minor traffic snarls as a result of the downpour.
To ensure the safety of students, the Bengaluru District Collector has declared a holiday for all schools and anganwadis in the city today. Social media platforms are buzzing with reports of traffic disruptions, particularly in the HSR Layout, which has been flooded.
The heavy rainfall in Bangalore is a consequence of Cyclone Dana, which is making its way towards the Indian coast. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a weather warning for heavy rains in Karnataka and coastal India as Cyclone Dana is expected to make landfall in Odisha and West Bengal coastal areas around October 23. In addition to Karnataka, heavy rainfall is also predicted for Gujarat, Konkan & Goa, Madhya Maharashtra, Coastal & North Interior Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Rayalaseema, and Andhra Pradesh today.
Earlier, IMD Director-General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra stated that the cyclonic circulation is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm. As a result, parts of Odisha and West Bengal are expected to experience heavy to very heavy rainfall from October 23 onwards. The IMD has issued a red alert for isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall (7 to 20 cm), with the possibility of extremely heavy rainfall (over 20 cm) and thunderstorms with lightning, for Puri, Khurda, Ganjam and Jagatsinghpur districts in Odisha on October 24. According to ANI, Mohapatra stated that some coastal regions may experience 20 cm rainfall on October 24-25. The intensity of the spell may also increase to 20 to 30 cm, and above 30 cm in some areas.