Bengaluru | Rains lashed Bengaluru and parts of the south interior and coastal districts of Karnataka, causing traffic congestion on Thursday.

For the next 24 hours, Bengaluru city and neighbourhood areas are likely to witness a generally cloudy sky with moderate rain likely in some areas, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

In a statement, the IMD attributed the weather to a well marked low pressure area over Gulf of Mannar and neighbourhood with the associated upper air cyclonic circulation extending up to midtropospheric levels persists.

The system is very likely to continue to move west-northwestwards towards south Tamil Nadu and weaken gradually during the next 12 hours, it said.

According to the IMD, light to moderate rain occurred at isolated places over Dakshina Kannada, Udupi districts and at many districts of south interior Karnataka.

Isolated heavy rain is likely to occur over Mandya, Kolar Chikkaballapura, Tumkur, Mysuru, Bengaluru Rural and Bengaluru Urban districts, but dry weather is very likely to prevail over Uttara Kannada and north interior Karnataka areas till December 13.

"From December 14-16, dry weather very likely to prevail over the state, while shallow fog with mist at isolated places is very likely over north interior Karnataka," the IMD officials stated.