Bengaluru, 20 September (H.S.): Heavy rain accompanied by thunder and lightning lashed several parts of Bengaluru late on Saturday, bringing much-needed relief to residents reeling under intense heat. The showers continued into Sunday morning, disrupting normal life in parts of the city.

The rain was attributed to weather activity over the Bay of Bengal. Shantinagar, Vasanth Nagar, Majestic, Koramangala, City Market, Malleswaram, Yeshwantpur, Jayanagar, Vijayanagar, JP Nagar, Rajajinagar, Chandra Layout, Nagarbhavi, Sunkadakatte, Kamakshipalya, Basaveshwaranagar and Hebbal were among the areas that received heavy showers.

Waterlogging was reported on several roads, slowing vehicular movement and causing inconvenience to commuters. Though the intensity of the rain later declined, the weather department forecast cloudy conditions and moderate showers in Bengaluru on Sunday.

The city's minimum temperature is expected to remain around 21 degrees Celsius, while the maximum could touch 31 degrees Celsius.

Rainfall activity across Karnataka is likely to intensify from Tuesday as a weather system developing over the Bay of Bengal gains strength. The India Meteorological Department said a low-pressure area was likely to form over the north Andaman Sea and adjoining regions.

The system is expected to move west-northwestwards and strengthen into a depression over the east-central Bay of Bengal by Monday. It could develop into a deep depression over the west-central Bay of Bengal by Tuesday before approaching the south Odisha-north Andhra Pradesh coast on Wednesday.

The strengthening system is expected to draw additional moisture into Karnataka, creating favourable conditions for thunderstorms and rainfall across several districts.

The IMD has issued yellow alerts for Belagavi, Gadag, Dharwad, Haveri, Bidar, Kalaburagi, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan and Kodagu. The anticipated showers are expected to provide further relief from the prevailing hot weather, though residents have been advised to remain cautious during thunderstorms.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman