Bengaluru: April 2026 will go down in history as a month of sharp weather swings for Bengaluru, according to a review of data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

It was an unusually hot and humid month.

The Bengaluru city observatory recorded an average maximum temperature of 35.19°C, compared to the long-term average of 34.1°C. The average minimum temperature also stayed high: 23.55°C, compared to the long-term average of 22.1°C, shows IMD data compiled by Bengaluru Weather.

But on April 29, records of the other extreme were also written.

According to the IMD data, the Bengaluru City observatory recorded 111.5 mm of rainfall in the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am on April 30, making it the wettest April day on record, surpassing the previous high of 108.6 mm on April 19, 2001. Of the 113 mm rainfall recorded this month, 111.5 mm fell within this 24-hour period. The monthly average is just 61.7 mm.

Data from the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Management Centre's (KSNDMC) automatic weather stations shows sharp spatial variation. The Bengaluru Urban automatic weather station recorded 102 mm of rainfall, Sampangiramanagar 92 mm, Cottonpet 78 mm, and Chamarajpet 77 mm.

Wednesday evening's hailstorm also led to a sharp drop in temperatures, with the minimum falling to 18.2°C, 4.3°C below normal. The maximum temperature, however, remained about 1°C above normal at 35°C, indicating strong daytime heating despite the evening storm, according to the IMD.

The hailstorm was largely concentrated within the city's core areas. The HAL Airport observatory, representative of eastern and southeastern areas, recorded only 34.2 mm of rainfall with little or no hail. In the north and northeast, it was even less. The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) observatory recorded 13 mm and GKVK just 8 mm.