Weather alert: IMD issues thunderstorm, rain warning for north India on Tuesday

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday issued an alert forecasting that several parts of north India could witness thunderstorm and squall tomorrow with winds gusting up to 50-70 kilometers per hour.

Lightning strikes over residential apartments during a thunderstorm on the outskirts of New Delhi. Photo: AFP (File)

NEW DELHI: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday warned that thunderstorms, squalls and gusty winds are likely to hit many parts of India, including Delhi, on Tuesday. The weather office said that several parts of north India could witness thunderstorm and squall tomorrow with winds gusting up to 50-70 kilometers per hour. The Haryana government on Monday closed schools for two days as a preventive measure in view of the weather warning. The Delhi government has also said that all evening schools (second shift which starts from the afternoon) will be shut on Tuesday. In Uttarakhand, a holiday has been declared for schools up to class 12 in Haridwar and Dehradun districts. All government and private schools up to class 12 will remain closed in both districts. All the Anganwadi centers will also remain closed.

Meerut: All educational institutions to remain closed tomorrow due to thunderstorm alert for the region.

— ABP News (@abpnewstv) May 7, 2018

All schools in Ghaziabad district to remain closed tomorrow following thunderstorm alert for the area.

— ABP News (@abpnewstv) May 7, 2018

The IMD issued an amber-coloured alert, indicating severe weather, for parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Chandigarh, western Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim and West Bengal. Several parts of these states could witness thunderstorm and squall with winds gusting up to 50-70 kilometers per hour, the alert said. There are four types of colour codes signifying the level of caution -- green (which means no action), yellow (situation to be watched), amber (government agencies to be prepared for severe weather) and red (action needed by the agencies). A western disturbance runs over Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, while there is a cyclonic circulation over northeast Rajasthan, west Madhya Pradesh and Haryana, and this will bring light to moderate rainfall in north India, Mritunjay Mohapatra, Additional Director General, IMD, said. He, however, said, The intensity is expected to be less in comparison to the thunderstorm that occurred on May 2. A deadly thunderstorm with winds gusting up to 100 kmph had hit Rajasthan and west Uttar Pradesh on May 2, killing over 100 people. Thunderstorm accompanied with gusty winds very likely at isolated places over Punjab, Assam , Meghalaya , Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, west Madhya Pradesh, east Uttar Pradesh, east Rajasthan, coastal and south interior Karnataka and Kerela, the IMD said in its alert today. A yellow coloured alert has been issued for these states. Thunderstorm accompanied with squall (wind speed reaching 50-70 kmph) are very likely at isolated places over Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and Delhi, west Uttar Pradesh and sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, it said. Heat wave conditions were also likely at one or two pockets over Vidarbha in Maharashtra, the alert said.