lucknow

Updated: Dec 02, 2015 01:40 IST

Several parts of Uttar Pradesh experienced freak weather on Tuesday afternoon after being hit by sudden dust storm and heavy rainfall.

Lightning claimed seven lives in the state. While a woman and her minor sister died in Auraiyya district, three people perished in Mathura, one in Mainpuri and one in Etah.

Lucknow and Kanpur were plunged into darkness, followed by storm and heavy rain. Allahabad, Agra and some other areas witnessed storm and rain but the intensity was less in comparison to Lucknow and Kanpur.

The unexpected showers and storm threw normal life out of gear and affected vehicular traffic. (Photo courtesy: Facebook)

Several trees were also uprooted and there were reports of some people receiving injuries.

Waterlogging and power cuts added to the people’s woes.

Met department director JP Gupta said the weather had changed significantly due to an upper cyclonic air circulation over Madhya Pradesh which had shifted towards UP.

It was the first time in over a decade that the city witnessed zero visibility on a December afternoon. (Photo Courtesy: Facebook)

Several Lucknow residents took to social media to post updates about the storm. “Never seen such a phenomenon. I had heard about Kaali Aandhi (black storm). Saw it today. Ajeeb lag raha hai....,” a resident posted on Facebook.