Rain, high wind hit North India; 12 dead in UP

Tribune News Service

New Delhi/Lucknow/Jaipur, Dehradun, May 30

At least 12 people were killed across Uttar Pradesh due to storm, lightning and heavy rain, an official said on Monday.

The rain is likely to continue in some parts of the state for the next two days, an official at the regional Met office said.

Meanwhile, heavy rain accompanied by strong winds on Monday lashed parts of Punjab and Haryana, bringing down the temperature. And in Pink City Jaipur, a high-speed squall hit the city and adjoining areas, bringing respite from the hot weather.

Delhiites woke up to a rainy morning on Monday with the National Capital region witnessing sporadic rain and strong winds throughout the night which led to water-logging in several parts. Traffic snarls due to water-logging were reported from some parts of the city.

The minimum temperature was recorded at 23 degrees Celsius, four notches below average, the official said. The Met office has predicted light rains and thunderstorm accompanied by squall later in the day on Monday.

“The skies will be partly cloudy. Light rain and thunderstorm accompanied by squall are likely,” the weatherman said. “The maximum temperature is likely to hover at 34 degrees,” he added.

Nearly 40 flights scheduled to arrive at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here on Sunday evening were diverted to nearby airports due to the bad weather in the national capital.

The showers that Delhi and adjoining areas are experiencing have nothing to do with monsoon. The northern limit of monsoon or NLM, as it is known, is still where it was on May 20. The rain in the plains of the north is due to confluence of a couple of weather systems.

The monsoon arrival over Kerala, as predicted by the IMD, is expected to be delayed by four to five days. The normal arrival date of the seasonal rain over the southern-most tip of the Indian subcontinent is June 1. However, several parts of the country are experiencing good pre-monsoon rain.

Meanwhile, heavy rain is likely to hit Uttarakhand, especially the hill districts of Champavat, Almora, Nainital, Tehri and Pauri, MeT department cautioned. Heavy showers may also lash Dehradun and adjoining areas, MeT director Vikram Singh said.

Thunder squall and hail are likely at a few places while places located above 3,500 metres may receive light snow, he said. He advised people, especially Char Dham yatris, not to venture out during thunderstorm which, he said, did not usually last long.

A series of cloudbursts in Tehri and Uttarkashi districts on Saturday had claimed six lives, besides damaging a large number of houses and burying alive around 100 cattle. With agencies inputs