NEW DELHI, Apr 30 : Several states received rains on Thursday, bringing some relief from the intense heat that has gripped large swathes of the country, with parts of Delhi even witnessing hailstorm during the day.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an ‘orange alert’ for rains in six districts of Kerala, predicting thunderstorms with gusty winds, while in Delhi, a similar warning was given for more “intense weather activity”.
Heavy rains in Bengaluru coupled with a hailstorm and gusty winds uprooted trees, flooded many key stretches and threw traffic out of gear. Ten people were killed due to rain-related incidents over the past 24 hours, particularly a wall collapse at a city hospital in which seven people died on Wednesday.
Two people died due to electrocution, while another man died after a cement block fell and pierced through the roof of a house during the storm.
Large parts of the city witnessed sudden, intense rainfall for nearly an hour, bringing down trees and electric poles, crushing parked vehicles and inundating low-lying areas, while several roads were rendered impassable, severely disrupting vehicular movement during peak hours.
In West Bengal, several places experienced moderate to heavy rain with gusty winds on Wednesday evening, significantly cooling night temperatures. Amta in Howrah district received the highest rainfall in the past 24 hours till 8.30 am on Thursday at 97 mm, the IMD said.
The IMD forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in some sub-Himalayan districts of West Bengal, and thunderstorms accompanied by rain in several other places across the state till May 4.
Due to favourable wind pattern and strong moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal, thunderstorms are very likely to occur over most districts of West Bengal, the IMD said in a bulletin.
It said heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to occur in the sub-Himalayan districts of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar and heavy rain in Kalimpong, till May 3.
Thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds with speeds reaching 50-60 kmph are very likely to occur over the south Bengal districts of North and South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Bardhaman, Paschim Medinipur, Bankura, Purulia, Hooghly and Nadia during the period, the bulletin said.
Parts of Himachal Pradesh received showers for the last 24 hours, with the weather office predicting a wet spell in the state till May 6 due to a fresh Western Disturbance in the Western Himalayan region from May 2.
The Shimla Met office said light to moderate rains occurred in many places across the state in the last 24 hours since Wednesday evening.
Intermittent rain was witnessed in the state capital Shimla, dark clouds overcast the sky and visibility was reduced to a few metres. Thunderstorm and lightning lashed Shimla, Sundernagar, Kangra and Jot.
Following a rise in temperatures in Una district, however, the administration has temporarily changed the operating hours of all educational institutions.
The Met office on Thursday issued a yellow warning of thunderstorm with lightning and gusty winds (speed 40-50 kmph) at isolated places in all districts barring Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti on Sunday, and five districts — Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi and Shimla — on Monday.
The IMD said parts of Rajasthan have witnessed a slight dip in temperatures over the past few days due to dust storms and light rainfall, with maximum temperatures hovering around 40-42 degrees Celsius.
Another Western Disturbance along with easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal is likely to impact the state over the next four to five days, bringing thunderstorms, gusty winds of 40-50 kmph and light to moderate rainfall in some areas, the Met office said.
Maximum temperatures are currently hovering around the normal range of 40-42 degrees Celsius, it said.
Heavy rains lashed parts of Kerala, bringing welcome respite from the heatwave in the state. The IMD issued an ‘orange alert’ in six districts — Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, and Ernakulam districts for three hours from 4 pm onwards.
An ‘orange alert’ indicates very heavy rainfall of 11 cm to 20 cm.
It also predicted thunderstorms with gusty winds reaching speeds of up to 50 kmph in parts of these districts.
On Wednesday, the IMD had forecast the possibility of rain accompanied by lightning and winds of 40–50 kmph in parts of the state from April 29 to May 3.
Hailstorms, gusty winds and rain hit Delhi-NCR during the day, bringing sudden relief from the prevailing heat. The IMD issued an orange alert warning of more intense weather activity over the next few hours.
Dark clouds enveloped the city as strong winds, at places reaching speeds of up to 70 kmph, swept across parts of the national capital, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and spells of rain.
According to the IMD, hailstorms and thunderstorms with light to moderate rainfall and lightning, along with gusty winds of 30 to 40 kmph, are very likely at isolated places, including Dilshad Garden, Seemapuri, Seelampur, Shahdara, Vivek Vihar, Preet Vihar, and adjoining areas of Noida.
Light to moderate rainfall, along with thunderstorms and lightning, is also expected at a few places, such as Civil Lines, Kashmiri Gate, Red Fort, Rajeev Chowk, ITO, India Gate, Akshardham, Nehru Stadium, Lajpat Nagar, Kalkaji, Tughlakabad and IGNOU during the next two hours, the IMD said.
An orange alert, which indicates “be prepared”, has been issued as the weather department cautioned that gusty winds and lightning could disrupt traffic movement and outdoor activities.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has issued an advisory, directing its departments to take precautionary measures to mitigate the impact of heatwave conditions in the summer season. The MCD has asked all zones and departments to ensure arrangements for cool drinking water, water coolers and cooling facilities at offices, schools, dispensaries, community halls and other high-footfall areas.
The IMD also warned that a combination of high temperature and humidity is likely to cause significant discomfort across the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal.
According to the weather department, temperatures are expected to remain two degrees celsius above normal at isolated places over Tamil Nadu.
Despite the heat, light to moderate rain is expected in a few places while thunderstorms are likely across TN and Puducherry.
The weather office predicted heavy rain at isolated places over Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Erode, Tiruppur, Dindigul and Theni districts on Friday. (PTI)
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