Thunderstorm LIVE updates: Severe dust storm wreaks havoc overnight, threat still looms large on 15 states

IMD has issued an alert forecasting that several parts of north India including Delhi could witness thunderstorm and squall today with winds gusting up to 50-70 kilometres per hour.

Reported by: India TV News Desk, New Delhi [ Updated: May 08, 2018 6:59 IST ]

Khowai: A child collects its books from a damaged house after a cyclonic hit Belchharra village at Khowai district of Tripura on Monday.

Photo:PTI

The threat of the thunderstorm, which has wreaked havoc over parts of 15 states, is yet to be over. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an alert forecasting that several parts of north India including Delhi could witness thunderstorm and squall today with winds gusting up to 50-70 kilometres per hour. IMD said that the thunderstorms are likely to hit several parts of north India till Friday since the mountains of Himachal Pradesh have received fresh snowfall.

On Monday, an 11-year-old girl was killed in Uttar Pradesh's Mainpuri after a tree fell on her. Strong winds have snapped electric lines and uprooted a number of trees. In Tripura, an elderly woman was killed and over 1,800 houses were damaged after a nor'wester struck various parts of the state. A woman and a child were killed in separate incidents of house collapse and 15 others injured when high-velocity winds swept across the Porsa town in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh.

There were reports of several trees being uprooted and life being thrown out of order in several parts of the alerted states. 

As a precautionary measure, Haryana has ordered the school to remain closed for May 7 and 8 (yesterday and today), while Delhi government has shut down evening shifts of the schools for today and has advised people to stay indoor between 3pm and 7pm during which winds speed is expected to remain high. In Ghaziabad, all the public and private schools will remain closed today. 

Here are the LIVE Updates: 

05:31 am: Six arriving flights, One departure flight delayed due to the dust storm that hit Delhi and adjoining NCR areas including Rohtak, Bhiwani, Jhajjar, Gurugram, Baghpat, Meerut and Ghaziabad. 

 
04:58 am: Heavy rains & snowfall can be expected in next 24 hours. Keylong's maximum temperature has dropped to 3.5 degree celsius. The temperature here in Shimla has dropped 4-5 degrees below than the normal temperature: Manmohan Singh, Director of IMD

04:50 am: Advisory of those travelling on roads: The Delhi Traffic Police has advised commuters to plan their journey after checking the weather conditions. The advisory has asked commuters to avoid travelling during the storm. Those who are stopping on the road or parking their vehicle have been advised to keep away from overhead electrical wires, tinned roofs, trees, etc., it said. The commuters have been advised to take shelter under concrete structures. Drivers have been advised to use dippers or parking lights while driving. The advisory said that commuters should "keep themselves updated about weather conditions and plan their journey accordingly".

The Delhi Traffic Police's advisory states that it has alerted the field formations to be ready to get obstacles such as fallen trees removed. 

04:30 am: National Disaster Management Authority released a post-thunderstorm list of do’s and don’ts: 1. Stay away from storm-damaged areas 2. Listen to local radio/TV stations for updates information on weather and traffic 3. Help children, women, elderly and differently-abled 4. Stay away from fallen trees/power lines and report them to nearest tehsil/district HQ immediately

04:00 pm: Dos and Don'ts issues by the government: In the list of "dos and don'ts" , the government has advised citizens to try to stay indoors and staff off verandas and keep a watch on local weather updates and warnings. The government also asked people to ensure that children and animals are inside and unplug unnecessary electrical appliances. 

The advisory also asked citizens to avoid taking a bath or shower or running water for any purpose. "This is because lightning can travel along pipes. Keep away from doors, windows, fire places, stoves, bath-tubs, or any other electrical charge conductors," the advisory stated. 

03:00 pm: In view of the storm warning, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has decided to exercise extreme caution in running of trains. "If wind speed is reported in the range of 70-90 kmph then train movement will remain normal but trains will enter with a restricted speed of 40 kmph or less at the platforms on elevated section. "If wind speed is reported more than 90 kmph then trains will be put on hold at platforms and no train will enter platform with a speed of more than 15 kmph," a senior DMRC official told PTI. In this case, normal movement of trains will be restored once the wind speed is reported less then 85kmph for continuous five minutes. Appropriate announcements will be made at stations during this period, he said. 

02:12 am: 

02:00 pm: The Delhi government has put search and rescue teams on standby in the wake of the meteorological (MeT) department issuing a warning of heavy rain and thunderstorm. The traffic police have alerted their field formations to be ready to remove obstacles such as fallen trees and asked commuters to check weather conditions before travelling. 

01:00 pm: A dust storm, with a wind speed of 70 kilometres per hour, hit the national capital tonight followed by a squall, bringing down the temperature after a hot day, the weatherman said.  The high-velocity wind swept through Delhi around 11.15 PM, an official at the Safdarjung observatory said. The MeT department had issued a warning message at 8.53 pm, saying a spell of rain/thunderstorm accompanied with squall is likely to occur over Delhi and NCR during in the next three-four hours. It has forecast rains and gusty winds for tomorrow as well.

(For updates on thunderstorm before 1 am, click here - Thunderstorm: Severe dust storm hits Delhi NCR region; IMD issues alert for 15 states)

(With inputs from agencies)