Shivamogga/ Madikeri: The southwest monsoon arrived ahead of schedule, bringing heavy rainfall in the Mysuru region and Malnad districts on Sunday. As a result, the Tunga dam, built across the Tunga River at Gajnur near Shivamogga, reached its maximum level of 588.2 metres.

In response, dam authorities started releasing excess water into the river, initially discharging with 5,500 cusecs on Sunday afternoon. The outflow was expected to double by Sunday night, given the severity of the rainfall in its catchment areas in Shivamogga and neighbouring Chikkamagaluru district.Tunga dam assistant executive engineer Tippa Naik told TOI that the dam has reached its full storage capacity of 3.2 tmcft.

Meanwhile, the inflow into the Bhadra dam, situated on the border of Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru districts, has risen. According to executive engineer N Ravi Kumar, the dam currently holds 137 ft of water, compared to its maximum capacity of 186 ft. He noted that the Bhadra dam catchment area was experiencing heavy rainfall, which could further increase the inflow later this week.With 197mm of rainfall between 8.30am on Saturday and 8.30am on Sunday, Banakal in Chikkamagaluru district recorded the highest rainfall in the state, while Agumbe in Shivamogga district recorded 184.5mm, followed by Bagamandala in Kodagu at 168.2mm.

Substantial floodwater reached the Bhadra dam and Linganamakki dam, built across Sharavathi River in Shivamogga district.The continuous rainfall threw normal life out of gear across Malnad. The agricultural community, who recently initiated farm preparations, were concerned as the monsoon arrived eight days before the usual date of June 1. Senior scientist at the India Meteorological Department, CS Patil, informed TOI that rain forecasts predicted heavy rainfall over the next two to three days in the Malnad districts.Tourists hit Tourists were hit by heavy rainfall in Mysuru and Kodagu districts on Sunday. Most of the tourist spots in Mysuru city wore a deserted look on Sunday. According to Hotel Owners' Association president C Narayana Gowda, the rain played spoilsport during the last weekend of the summer holidays. "On Saturday, tourist flow was good. However, it drastically reduced due to the rainfall on Sunday," he said.A large number of tourists visiting Kodagu were forced to cancel their plans and stay indoors due to incessant rainfall. As roads were blocked due to falling trees affecting vehicular traffic, the tourists were affected.