MANGALURU: Heavy, but steady showers accompanied by thunder and lightning in Mangaluru in Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada district on Monday saw three flights being diverted to Hubballi, Cochin and Coimbatore from Mangaluru International Airport (MIA).
The IMD issued a yellow alert for the coast on Tuesday, orange for Wednesday and Red for Thursday, indicating heavy to very heavy rainfall with extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places over all the coastal districts.
Though the entire day was cloudy, with an occasional drizzle, the skies opened up at 5pm with heavy showers.
This saw the Muscat-Bengaluru-Mangaluru flight diverted to Cochin after it took off from Kempegowda International Airport and the Bengaluru-Mangaluru flight being diverted to Coimbatore.
Another flight from Hubballi to Mangaluru was diverted back to the initial start point after visibility deteriorated due to rains.
All these flights were scheduled to land between 4.45pm and 6pm.
The Muscat Mangaluru flight via Bengaluru arrived at 9pm; Hubballi – Mangaluru flight at 8.30pm and the Bengaluru-Mangaluru flight landed at 7.30pm.
Meanwhile, the steady showers saw water overflow onto roads and low-lying areas and the usual traffic gridlock at crucial junctions at Nanthoor and KPT and the thoroughfares of the city.
The IMD has warned fishermen that squally weather with wind speed reaching 40-50 kmph is likely to prevail along and off Karnataka coast and advised them not to venture into sea during the next 24 hours.
The IMD also warned of heavy to extreme showers with thunderstorm and lightning at isolated places in the districts of coastal Karnataka till May 19 with rainfall expected to be between 65mm and 115mm.
On Monday, according to KSNDMC alert, 138mm of rainfall was recorded at Amtadi GP and 129.5mm of rainfall at Arala GP in Bantwal taluk of DK.
