Thunderstorm kills 124, another one likely in Delhi, UP, Rajasthan tomorrow

Another thunderstorm, days after a big one killed more than 100 people across North India, might strike around May 7-8, weathermen said. It could be accompanied by wind speeds of around 90 km per hour.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD), in an update issued a few days ago, had indicated the possibility of a fresh thunderstorm accompanied by gusty winds in parts of Rajasthan, west Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana.

“There might be a repeat of last week’s massive thunderstorm again around May 7-8 in north-west Rajasthan and adjoining Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and west UP as once again a western disturbance is clashing with a cyclonic circulation,” said Mahesh Palawal, chief meteorologist at private weather forecasting agency Skymet. He said such intense thunderstorms happen whenever day temperatures rise sharply.

"We are expecting a western disturbance to approach the hill region on May 5. This will have an effect on the north-western plains,” IMD senior scientist M Mahapatra  told a news agency. "The intensity of the thunderstorm can only be predicted two hours prior to the activity," Mahapatra  added.
 

The last thunderstorm that stuck Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, killed over 100 people and destroyed almost 30-40 of the standing mango crop in the main growing districts of Saharanpur, Pilibhit, Muzaffarnagar, Bareli, Rampur and Sitapur.

Traders and farmers said this might push up mango prices in the domestic market this year as Uttar Pradesh is one of the biggest suppliers of mangoes in the country.

In wheat, there have not been reports of any large-scale damage to the standing crop except in a few pockets in and around Agra as most of the produce has already been harvested. “Those fields where wheat is still lying in the open after harvest or the crop is in the mandis, might have been affected but overall there does not seem to be an impact on any other rabi crop as most of it has already been harvested and a bulk of it sold,” a senior official said.
 

G P Singh, director of the Karnal-based Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR), said except for mangoes not much damage has been reported from anywhere and even if there is another bout of gusty winds, there won’t be any impact. “In places where summer-moong has been sown, the crop hasn’t become so big so that it could be affected,” Singh said.

In the past week, 124 people were killed while more than 300 injured in five states due to thunderstorm and lightning in the last two days. Besides the loss of 73 lives in Uttar Pradesh, the dust storm engulfed 35 people in Rajasthan and injured another 206. The massive storm and thundershowers killed eight people in Telangana, six in Uttarakhand and two in Punjab. Altogether, around 100 people were injured in Telangana, Uttarakhand and Punjab.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday approved an ex gratia payment of Rs 200,000 each from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund for the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to the dust storm in various parts of north India on May 2.

An official release said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also approved Rs 50,000 each for those seriously injured due to the storm.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath cut short his election campaign in Karnataka to return to the state following reports of large-scale damage due to the thunderstorm and gusty winds. In Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje expressed grief over the calamity and said district authorities have been directed to ensure all possible help to victims. She said contingency funds have been released to district administrations.