Parts of Karnataka, especially Bengaluru, were caught off guard on Sunday as heavy rain lashed the state. The rains have come a day after the IT city recorded its hottest day of the year -– at least by Bengaluru standards -- with maximum temperature touching 35.2 degrees Celsius.
Rain inundated many parts of the capital city, including commercial areas like Shivajinagar and Frazer Town. Vehicles were stranded on roads and the weekend crowd had a tough time.
A few areas in the city also witnessed minor hailstorms as twitterati went hyper posting pictures 'hailing the hailstorm'.
The heavy rains have come on the eve of Ramzan, upsetting shopping in Muslim dominated areas. The civic body deployed its personnel in some areas as water entered a few houses. The weather office said the sudden spell was due to a western disturbance and is likely to persist for the next two days.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department has indicated there may be respite from heat wave in Delhi and adjoining parts of northwest and central India from Monday.
On Sunday, the temperature crossed the 46-degree Celsius threshold at a few places in Rajasthan, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi.
The weather office has predicted a partially cloudy sky with the possibility of thunder at isolated places over Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh, east Rajasthan and parts of Uttar Pradesh; this is likely to give some respite to residents from the searing heat.
The heatwave is also expected to abate in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and West Rajasthan from May 3, the IMD said.
