Storm Fear Fades, Rain Likely In Delhi-NCR
NEW DELHI : The threat of the thunderstorm, which has wreaked havoc over parts of 15 states, is yet to be over. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an alert forecasting that several parts of north India including Delhi could witness thunderstorm and squall today with winds gusting up to 50-70 kilometres per hour.
IMD said that the thunderstorms are likely to hit several parts of north India till Friday since the mountains of Himachal Pradesh have received fresh snowfall.On Monday, an 11-year-old girl was killed in Uttar Pradesh’s Mainpuri after a tree fell on her. Strong winds have snapped electric lines and uprooted a number of trees.
As a precautionary measure, Haryana has ordered the school to remain closed for May 7 and 8 (yesterday and today), while Delhi government has shut down evening shifts of the schools for today and has advised people to stay indoor between 3pm and 7pm during which winds speed is expected to remain high. In Ghaziabad, all the public and private schools will remain closed today.
Meanwhile, IMD office dismissing any “significant weather warning” for the national capital region and the neighbouring states, the met office has said the “weather is getting better and clearer”.
After strong gusts of wind followed by rain hit several parts of Delhi and Gurgaon on Monday night, the met office had said that several parts of north India, including the national capital could witness thunderstorm and squall today as well with winds gusting up to 50-70 kilometres per hour.
As a precaution, some schools in Delhi and NCR region declared holiday. The Delhi Traffic Police urged people to take precautions while commuting and the Delhi Metro said it was on alert for heavy rain.
Search and rescue teams are on standby in every district of Delhi and NCR region. The Delhi Police have asked people not to venture out without checking storm warnings. The Delhi Metro too decided to exercise extreme caution while running trains.
The met department had issued warnings about thunderstorms and squalls across 20 states: Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Bihar, Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Sikkim, Odisha, Telangana, north Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
A severe storm in parts of Tripura in the last 48 hours has claimed a life of a woman and damaged over 1,800 houses, officials from the state emergency operation centre said.
At least 120 people were killed and more than 300 others injured across five states last week due to dust storms, thunderstorms and lightning.(With Agency Inputs ).
