Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts in coastal Karnataka received heavy rain on the night of April 19.
The rain began around 2 a.m. on April 19. The rain was accompanied by loud thunder and lightning. It had not stopped at the time this report was filed on April 20. While the night witnessed a downpour, the intensity of rain had reduced in the morning.
Nimit, an IT professional based in Bengaluru who is in Dakshina Kannada for a family event, said, “The thunder was so loud that I was woken up from my sleep.”
Suhan, a mechanical engineer who is in his village on a break from his work in Bengaluru, said, “Electricity was cut at 2 a.m., but the rain began later, around 3.30 a.m. The thunder was loud. Though rain in Dakshina Kannada is accompanied by thunder and lightning, I have not seen so much loud thunder and lightning in recent times.”
Mescom, the local State-owned electricity distribution company, had disconnected power in many parts of its jurisdiction as a precautionary measure.
The rain was a welcome relief from the intense heat of this summer. However, the humidity has gone up and people are sweating even more.
Though there had been signs of the possibility of rain since April 18, the intensity took people by surprise. Ratnakar, a retired banker, said, “Of late, I had begun sleeping in a relatively open area of my house owing to the heat. But last night, I was forced to shift inside my house following heavy rain and lightning. But, even inside I could not sleep because of the humidity and sweating.”
On April 18, heavy rain in Tirthahalli, in Shivamogga district of Karnataka, had claimed the life of a 64-year-old man who died after a tree fell on him.
Rain has been reported in some other parts of Karnataka in the last one week. Rani, a planter based in Chikkamagaluru district, said, “On April 18, there was heavy rain in our place, and there was no electricity in our coffee plantation.”
