Residents of Shivamogga woke up at midnight on Tuesday (March 31) as a series of lightening strikes broke the silence of the dark hours and lit up the entire city for a few seconds. This was followed by deafening thunder.

Within a few minutes, the power supply in many areas was disrupted, and the downpour continued for an hour, leaving roads and low-lying areas flooded.

Residents of low-lying areas in Sharavathi Nagar lost sleep and got busy safeguarding valuables even as rainwater entered their living rooms.

S.N Channabasappa, Shivamogga MLA, visited the rain-hit areas on Wednesday (April 1) morning.

Shivamogga city recorded 72.5 mm of rainfall, the highest in the State, in the 24 hours that ended at 8.30 a.m. on April 1. Similarly, parts of Soraba and Tirthahalli taluks in Shivamogga, parts of Mudigere in Chikkamagaluru, and parts of Belur in Hassan received moderate to heavy rains on the day.