india

Updated: May 16, 2018 12:52 IST

The Indian Meteorological Department on Wednesday forecast more thunderstorms and squalls for the north and northwest regions of the country till Friday, overturning its earlier prediction, as a dust storm and thundershowers hit Delhi and the National Capital Region in the morning.

A fresh western disturbance, a low-pressure system that brings moisture from the Eurasian water bodies, will continue to affect the weather in this region, the weather office said.

An 18-year-old man was killed and 13 people injured in the dust storm that hit the national capital in the early hours today, police said. Sohail of northeast Delhi’s Gokal Puri area, was killed after a wall collapsed on him while he was sleeping in his house.

Wednesday is likely to see more thunderstorms along with gusty winds in north India including the hilly regions of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and in the plains in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

East India will also continue to see scattered thunderstorm activity on Wednesday. In peninsular Indian states, especially the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, thunderstorms are expected along with Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala.

Thunderstorm activity has been reported in the past 24 hours from isolated areas over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, east Rajasthan in northwest India, interior parts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry in the south, and also from Bihar, Chhattisgarh, sub­Himalayan West Bengal and the northeastern states.

Rains in Delhi

Strong winds, accompanied by dust and light rains, hit Delhi early on Wednesday, bringing a sudden decline in the temperature.

The minimum temperature was recorded at 26.4 degrees Celsius and the maximum temperature was likely to hover around 38 degrees Celsius, the official added. The humidity recorded at 63% at 8.30am.

“The sky will be generally cloudy with the possibility of light rains or drizzle,” an IMD official said.

New agency ANI reported that trees fell on cars in Lodhi Colony area due to the winds.

More than 80 people died in six states, with Uttar Pradesh alone recording 54 deaths, due to thunderstorms and lightning strikes since Sunday.

The met department had on Tuesday predicted thunderstorms and gusty winds for the day in some parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and east Uttar Pradesh.

It also said parts of Rajasthan could experience dust storms and isolated areas of West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and most of northeast India can also expect thunderstorms and strong winds.

Storms hit Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttarakhand and Punjab, killing 134 people and injuring over 400 on May 2. Uttar Pradesh was the worst affected accounting for 80 deaths, most of them in Agra district in the western part of the state.