Heavy Rainfall Batters Coastal Karnataka, IMD Issues Red Alert, Schools Closed

Heavy rainfall has been affecting many districts in Karnataka, particularly coastal areas like Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, and Uttara Kannada. The India Meteorological Centre in Bengaluru has issued warnings of widespread rain in these regions until July 12.

A red alert has been issued for Uttara Kannada, Udupi, and Dakshina Kannada districts, with yellow alerts issued for June 10 and 11 in these coastal areas. In response to the continuous rainfall, schools and colleges in Dakshina Kannada district have been closed today.

In Udupi district, flooding is a major concern due to torrential downpours over the past 2-3 days. Heavy to very heavy rains are forecasted for the district in the coming days.

Other districts have also been affected by the heavy rainfall. A yellow alert is in effect until June 12 for Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru districts, while additional yellow alerts have been issued for Belagavi, Bidar, Kalaburagi, Kodagu, and Hassan districts.

In north interior Karnataka, moderate rain and thunderstorms with wind speeds of 30-40 kmph are expected in several places across districts like Bagalkote, Belgaum, Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, Koppal, Raichur, Vijayapur, and Yadgir today. Southern interior Karnataka districts like Bellary, Chamarajanagar, Chitradurga, Davangere, Hassan, Kodagu, Mandya, Mysore, Tumkur, and Vijayanagar are likely to experience light to moderate rain in many areas.

In response to the adverse weather conditions, authorities have declared holidays for schools and colleges in several affected districts. Dakshina Kannada district has announced a holiday due to continuous rainfall, while Kumta and Honnavar taluks in Uttara Kannada district and Udupi district have also declared holidays today.

Udupi district has been severely affected by the heavy rains. In the past 24 hours, Kundapur taluk received 138.6 mm of rain, Udupi 118 mm, Karkala taluk 63.9 mm, and Byndur 147.3 mm. Brahmavar (104 mm), Kapu (79.5 mm), and Hebri (95.8 mm) also experienced heavy rainfall.

The heavy rains in Udupi have caused flooding in several houses in the Karambali ward, leading to the evacuation of students staying as paying guests due to severe floods on the Gundibailu Padigaru road. Paddy fields in many taluks are also submerged, with reports of partial and complete damage to houses across Udupi district.