Cyclone to cause heavy rainfall, gusty winds in Karnataka coasts

Though gusts of wind reaching up to 45 kmph are common for the coasts, wind speeds at 60-70 kmph can do some damage, he said, noting that the IMD bulletin was forecasting gusts of up to 60 kmph.

The coastal and Malnad districts of the state will receive widespread rainfall due to the cyclone until June 10. The rain is expected to provide relief from the scorching weather conditions prevailing in the region due to the slow progress of monsoons and deficient pre-monsoon showers.

Meanwhile, the monsoon is yet to set in, despite predictions of a normal monsoon by IMD. The normal date of onset for the monsoon in Karnataka is around June 2 and the entire state is covered by June 6 or 7, if normal conditions prevail.

Westerlies have remained weak and it could still take time for the monsoon to set in, the scientist said.

According to the daily KSNDMC report, only South and North Interior Karnataka regions received normal pre-monsoon showers. It was deficient in the Malnad and coastal districts of the state.

South Interior Karnataka received 163 mm against a normal of 138 mm and North Interior Karnataka received 95 mm against a normal of 79 mm. Malnad received 128 mm rainfall against a normal of 163 mm, and coastal Karnataka districts received just 62 mm against a normal of 156 mm.