Thunderstorm kills 40 in Bihar, UP, Jharkhand; heat wave rattles Delhi-NCR

Heatwave is likely to persist in North India, while southwest monsoon hit Kerala on Tuesday. Catch all the weather updates on Business Standard

At least 40 people were killed on Monday due to a thunderstorm that hit various states across the country including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. Of 40 people, 12 were reported dead in Jharkhand while 19 and 9 people lost their lives in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh respectively. The causalities were reported from Bihar's Aurangabad, Katihar and Gaya district and Unnao, Rae Bareilly and Kanpur Nagar of Uttar Pradesh. Also, around 28 and five people were left injured in Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh respectively. Earlier on May 2, at least 100 people died in north India and some other states, owing to thunderstorms.

19 dead in Bihar

At least 19 persons, including a number of women and children, were killed in incidents of lightning and thunderstorm in various parts of Bihar on Monday.

The adjoining districts of Gaya and Aurangabad reported the maximum casualty i.e. five deaths each, a release issued by the state disaster management department said on Tuesday. Other deaths were reported from Munger, Katihar and Nawada districts of the state, it said. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar condoled the deaths caused by nature's fury and issued instructions for expeditious disbursement of ex-gratia.




9 persons were killed in Uttar Pradesh

Nine persons were killed and six others injured in incidents of thunderstorm and lightning in some parts of Uttar Pradesh, a senior government official said today.

Heat wave prevails over western UP

The weather remained dry over western parts of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday. Day temperature was above normal in Allahabad, Moradabad, Jhansi, Gorakhpur, Varanasi and Kanpur divisions, with Orai recording the highest maximum temperature of 47 degrees Celsius.

Rain and thunderstorm accompanied by gusty winds or squall, with wind speed reaching 50-70 kmph, were very likely at isolated places in the state over the next couple of days, MeT officials said.

Monsoon hits Kerala three days ahead of schedule

The southwest monsoon on Tuesday hit Kerala, three days before its scheduled arrival, says the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The onset of monsoon over the southern state marks the commencement of the four-month-long rainy season in the country.

The IMD has made a forecast of "normal" rainfall this season.

Skymet, a private weather forecasting agency and a rival of the IMD, had said that the monsoon made its arrival in Kerala yesterday.

According to the IMD, if after May 10, 60 per cent of the available 14 stations --Minicoy, Amini, Thiruvananthapuram, Punalur, Kollam, Allapuzha, Kottayam, Kochi, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Thalassery, Kannur, Kudulu and Mangalore -- report 2.5 mm or more rainfall for two consecutive days, the onset of monsoon over Kerala can be declared on the second day. This is one of the main parameters for declaring the arrival of monsoon.'

Heavy rainfall expected to hit Andaman and Nicobar Islands in 24 hours

A low-pressure area can be seen over east central Bay of Bengal and adjoining region. It is most likely to become well marked during the next 24 hours. As per weathermen, the weather system is likely to move in the north-northeasterly direction towards the Myanmar Coast. So in consequence to this, Andaman and Nicobar Islands are expected to record heavy to very heavy rainfall and thundershowers during the next 24 to 48 hours, reports SkyMet Weather.