Hailstorm, gusty winds pour misery in Kolar district

Heavy rain, accompanied by hailstorm, lashed several parts of Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts, causing damage to houses, vehicles and sheds at Kolar APMC on Monday.

Roof sheets of several houses were blown away in the rain, accompanied by strong winds that lashed Kolar city and parts of the district on Monday afternoon.

The incidents of tree fall and uprooting of electricity poles were reported in Kolar and several villages in the district. Strong winds caused power outages in parts of Kolar and surrounding villages. 

A tomato trader suffered losses running into lakhs of rupees after the mandi shed near Kolar APMC yard collapsed.

"About 30 tonnes of tomatoes worth Rs 5 lakh were destroyed after the gusty winds and sharp showers brought down the shed. A car, two autorickshaws and a few two-wheelers were also damaged in the incident," CMR Tomato Mandi owner C M R Srinath told DH.

Madanahali and Urigili gram panchayats in Kolar taluk recorded 3.5 cm and 3.4 cm of rain, according to Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre.

The Monday afternoon showers brought down the mercury level by a few notches in Kolar city. The city was sizzling at a temperature of 43 degrees Celsius.

A good spell of rain has brought cheer to mango growers in the district. Soaring temperatures were affecting mango production.

The fruits were turning black in the trees due to a prolonged spell of intense heat.

Shidlaghatta taluk in Chikkaballapur district on Monday received its first rain of the season.

Several parts of Ramanagar district, including the city and Magadi town, received sharp showers for over 45 minutes in the evening, giving the region the much-needed respite from blistering heat.

A car, an autorickshaw and four bikes were damaged after a massive tree came down on the parked vehicles on 100-feet road in Mandya. The city received a good spell of rain in the evening.

Yelandur taluk, including Biligiriranganabetta, in Chamarajanagar district also experienced rain, coupled with gusty winds.