A wave of sandstorms and thunderstorms sweeping through in India have left at least 86 people dead and 100 others injured, authorities said Monday.

Federal officials said violent gales higher than 62 mph hit areas in the north, south and east of the country, wrecking homes and uprooting trees, Agence France-Presse reports.

Walls, trees and power pylons were taken down in Uttar Pradesh state by hail, wind and thunderstorms, leaving 48 dead, according to T.P. Gupta of the state disaster management department. Uttar Pradesh is the country’s most populous state.

In the state’s Barabanki district, heavy winds capsized a boat and killed eight people. 80 more were injured and 40 homes were destroyed, AFP reports.

Strong winds also forced the Indira Gandhi International Airport to close for two hours, diverting 70 flights.

Since early May, India has been experiencing bizarre weather patterns. The country has undergone similar storms in the past, but seldom this extreme. This season is the deadliest in decades, AFP reports.

On May 1, over 40,000 lightning bolts hit Andhra Pradesh, killing 14 people.

Just 10 days ago, more than 134 people were reportedly killed in a sandstorm in Agra, home of the Taj Mahal.</s>A wave of sandstorms and thunderstorms sweeping through in India have left at least 86 people dead and 100 others injured, authorities said Monday.

Federal officials said violent gales higher than 62 mph hit areas in the north, south and east of the country, wrecking homes and uprooting trees, Agence France-Presse reports.

Walls, trees and power pylons were taken down in Uttar Pradesh state by hail, wind and thunderstorms, leaving 48 dead, according to T.P. Gupta of the state disaster management department. Uttar Pradesh is the country’s most populous state.

In the state’s Barabanki district, heavy winds capsized a boat and killed eight people. 80 more were injured and 40 homes were destroyed, AFP reports.

Strong winds also forced the Indira Gandhi International Airport to close for two hours, diverting 70 flights.

Since early May, India has been experiencing bizarre weather patterns. The country has undergone similar storms in the past, but seldom this extreme. This season is the deadliest in decades, AFP reports.

On May 1, over 40,000 lightning bolts hit Andhra Pradesh, killing 14 people.

Just 10 days ago, more than 134 people were reportedly killed in a sandstorm in Agra, home of the Taj Mahal.</s>This story is from May 14, 2018

Maharashtara

01:38Thunderstorm in India: Thunderstorm wreaks havoc across India, several killed; UP worst hit

NEW DELHI: As many as 80 people have been killed in five states due to thunderstorms and lightning strikes since yesterday, with Uttar Pradesh alone recording 51 deaths, the home ministry said on Monday.Fourteen people died in West Bengal, 12 in Andhra Pradesh, two in Delhi and one in Uttarakhand, a ministry spokesperson said.Of the 136 people injured in lightning strikes and thunderstorms, 123 were from Uttar Pradesh, 11 from Delhi and two from Uttarakhand.Lightning strikes and thunderstorms hit 24 districts in Uttar Pradesh, six in West Bengal, three in Andhra Pradesh, two in Delhi and one in Uttarakhand, the spokesperson said.Dust storms and thunderstorms wreaked havoc in Delhi and parts of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh yesterday, leaving behind a trail of destruction.High-velocity winds uprooted trees and affected road, rail and air services last evening at a number of places in north India, including the national capital.Thunderstorms also occurred at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Assam, Meghalaya,, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had said yesterday.The devastation comes over 12 days after storms hit Uttar Pradesh (UP), Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttarakhand and Punjab, killing 134 people and injuring over 400. UP was the worst affected, accounting for 80 deaths, most of them in Agra district in the western part of the state.Subsequently on May 9, several parts of Uttar Pradesh were struck by a severe storm that left 18 dead and 27 others injured.</s>As many as 53 people were killed, including 39 in Uttar Pradesh , due to lightning and thunderstorms in four states since last night, the Home Ministry said today.As per information received from state governments, 39 people died in Uttar Pradesh, nine in Andhra Pradesh, four in West Bengal and one in Delhi due to lightning and thunderstorms during the intervening night of May 13 and 14, a ministry spokesperson said.Fifty-three people were injured in Uttar Pradesh, 11 in Delhi and one in West Bengal.Dust storms and thunderstorms had wreaked havoc yesterday in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and the national capital, leaving behind a trail of destruction.High-velocity winds uprooted trees and affected road, rail and air services last evening in several places in north India, including Delhi.Thunderstorms also occurred at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Assam, Meghalaya, Maharashtara, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the India Meteorological Department had said yesterday.e storms.</s>As many as 71 people lost their lives in five states, including 42 in Uttar Pradesh , due to lightning and thunderstorms since yesterday, the Home Ministry said today.Among the dead, 42 were in Uttar Pradesh, 14 in West Bengal, 12 in Andhra Pradesh, two in Delhi and one in Uttarakhand, a ministry spokesperson said.Altogether 83 people were injured in Uttar Pradesh, 11 in Delhi and two in Uttarakhand.A total of 24 districts in Uttar Pradesh, six in West Bengal, three in Andhra Pradesh, two in Delhi and one in Uttarakhand were hit by the lightning and thunderstorms, the spokesperson said.Dust storms and thunderstorms wreaked havoc since yesterday in Delhi and parts of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, leaving behind a trail of destruction.High-velocity winds uprooted trees and affected road, rail and air services last evening in several places in north India, including the national capital.Thunderstorms also occurred at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Assam, Meghalaya, Maharashtara, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had said yesterday.The devastation comes over 12 days after storms hit Uttar Pradesh (UP), Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttarakhand and Punjab, killing 134 people and injuring over 400. UP was the worst affected, accounting for 80 deaths, most of them in Agra district in the western part of the state.Subsequently on May 9, several parts of Uttar Pradesh were struck by a severe storm that left 18 dead and 27 others injured.</s>New Delhi: At least 41 people were killed and many injured as Dust storms and thunderstorms wreaked havoc in the National Capital, Uttar Pradesh, west Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh bore the brunt of a thunderstorm and hail that left at least 18 people dead, while 12 people including four children were killed in West Bengal, nine in Andhra Pradesh, and two in Delhi, officials said.

Several places in north India including Delhi, high-velocity winds uprooted trees and affected road, rail and air services.

According to the India Meteorological Department, thunderstorms also occurred at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Assam, Meghalaya, Maharashtara, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu today.

In a tweet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “Saddened by the loss of lives due to storms in some parts of the country. Condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured.”

On May 2, a thunderstorm killed 134 people across northern India, with hundreds more reported injured.

Strong winds swept through Haryana as the weather changed suddenly and light rain lashed several areas, a meteorological department official said in Chandigarh. Several parts of Punjab also got light rain.

The IMD predicted that the hill states of Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh are likely to get thunderstorms on Monday, while parts of Rajasthan might see a dust storm. The subsequent effect on the plains of northern India is also predicted.</s>NEW DELHI: Dust storms and thunderstorms wreaked havoc in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and the national capital, killing at least 41 people and leaving behind a trail of destruction.

Uttar Pradesh bore the brunt of a thunderstorm and hail that left at least 18 people dead, while 12 people including four children were killed in West Bengal, nine in Andhra Pradesh, and two in Delhi, officials said.

At several places in north India including Delhi, high-velocity winds uprooted trees and affected road, rail and air services.

According to the India Meteorological Department, thunderstorms also occurred at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Assam, Meghalaya, Maharashtara, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu today.

In a tweet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: "Saddened by the loss of lives due to storms in some parts of the country. Condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured."

Condoling the deaths, Congress President Rahul Gandhi in a tweet asked party workers to provide all assistance to the bereaved families.

Today's devastation comes over 10 days after storms hit UP, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttarakhand and Punjab, killing 134 people and injuring over 400.

UP was the worst affected, accounting for 80 deaths, most of them in Agra district in the western part of the state.

Subsequently on May 9, several parts of Uttar Pradesh were struck by a severe storm that left 18 dead and 27 others injured.

At least 18 people were killed and 28 injured in hail and thunderstorm that pummelled parts of Uttar Pradesh, officials said.

Five people were killed in Kasganj, three in Bulandshahr and two each in Ghaziabad and Saharanpur.

One person each died in Etawah, Aligarh, Kannauj, Hapur, Noida and Sambhal, Principal Secretary (Information) Awanish Awasthi said.

A squall and dust storm with a wind speed of up to 109 kmph battered Delhi and neighbouring areas today, killing two persons and injuring 18 others, and throwing flight, rail and metro operations out of gear.

In West Bengal, at least 12 people, including four children, were killed and over 15 injured in lightning strike amid heavy rain, an official of the state disaster management department said.

Five deaths were reported from Howrah district, while two deaths each from West Midnapore, North 24-Parganas and Nadia districts and one from Murshidabad district.

In Andhra Pradesh, nine persons were killed in lightning strikes.

While seven persons were killed in Srikakulam district alone, two more were killed in Kadapa, officials said.

Various parts of the southern state witnessed rain, accompanied by gales.

In Delhi, the sky turned dark grey around 4:30 pm.

Gusty winds and rain lashed the national capital, causing the temperature to drop to 25.2 degrees Celsius.

The much-needed reprieve came after a sweltering day, when the maximum temperature had reached 40.60 degrees Celsius, a notch above the normal.

Humidity during the morning hours was recorded at 60 per cent, a MeT official said.

The officials said two squalls whipped through the national capital.

One clocking 109 kmph hit the Safdarjung area at 4:44 pm and continued till 4:46 pm.

The other gusting to 96 kmph battered the Palam area at 4:33 pm.

The strong winds knocked down nearly 200 trees in the city.

Incidents of wall collapse were reported from Najafgarh, Transit Camp, Nehru Place, Mohan Garden in Uttam Nagar and Raj Nagar in Palam, said a senior officer of the Delhi Fire Service.

A man was crushed to death in a wall collapse, while a woman was killed when a tree uprooted and fell on her, the police said.

Traffic in many areas moved at a snail's pace due to the reduced visibility.

The inclement weather interrupted the launch of a 140 kWp rooftop solar plant at IP Extension attended by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Operations at the Delhi airport came to a halt due to the dust storm.

At least 40 flights were diverted and more than 24 delayed, an official said.

Metro operations were affected at a number of stations on the Violet and Blue lines after trees fell on overhead electricity (OHE) wires.

The Northern Railways said the train movement was disrupted on the section between the Hazrat Nizamuddin and Palwal stations due to tree felling.

A few passenger and freight trains were held up for around 25 minutes because of the disruption.

The Kalka-New Delhi Shatabdi Express was also stopped near Sonepat due to uprooting of trees.

According to MeT department officials, the Safdarjung Observatory gauged 8.3 mm of rainfall.

The Palam, Aya Nagar and Lodhi Road areas recorded 0.8, 6.4 and 2.1 mm of precipitation.

K Sathi Devi, the head of the National Weather Forecasting Centre, said two western disturbances had led to the inclement weather.

"A cloud mass passed over Delhi. The extreme weather not only affected Delhi; Panipat, Jhajjar, Rohtak, Jind in Haryana and parts of Uttar Pradesh," said G P Sharma, President (Meteorology) Skymet, a private weather forecasting agency.

The winds continued to gust to 70 kmph even after the cloud mass passed over Delhi.

Thunderstorm and dust storm with winds speeds of up to 70 km per hour are "very likely" tomorrow in 26 districts of Uttar Pradesh, the weather office warned.</s>At least 71 people died on Sunday as dust storms and thunderstorms hit parts of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and New Delhi, PTI reported. Thunderstorms and hail left 42 people dead in Uttar Pradesh while 14 people – including four children – died in West Bengal, 12 in Andhra Pradesh, two in Delhi and one in Uttarakhand. Nearly 83 people were injured in Uttar Pradesh, 11 in Delhi and two in Uttarakhand.

Over 84 houses were damaged in the storm in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district, whereas most number of deaths, eight, were recorded in Bareilly, according to The Times of India.

High-velocity winds uprooted trees in New Delhi and some other parts of North India. Rail, road and air traffic was also severely affected. In the national Capital, at least 40 flights were diverted and 24 delayed, DNA reported.

In East Delhi’s Pandav Nagar area, a woman died after a tree fell on her. Another woman was killed and her 17-year-old son seriously wounded when an illegal hoarding fell on them in Bisrakh area of Greater Noida. The India Meteorological Department has said that thunderstorms also occurred at a few places in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Assam, Meghalaya, Maharashtara, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, PTI reported.

The thunderstorms are likely to continue over the next couple of days, Charan Singh, a scientist with the Indian Meteorological Department said. The Met office has also warned that thunderstorms and dust storms with wind speeds of up to 70 km per hour were “very likely” on Monday in 26 districts of Uttar Pradesh.</s>At least 70 people killed after wave of sandstorms and thunderstorms

Storms with strong winds were "very likely" in most parts of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Monday, India's most populous state, the India Meteorological Department said in its latest forecast.

Storms are common at this time of the year, the beginning of the rainy season in South Asia, but the severity of the weather this year, and the human cost, have been unusual.

At least 34 people were killed and 47 injured when thunderstorms swept Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, displacing hundreds of people, Sanjay Kumar, relief commissioner for the state, told Reuters by telephone from Lucknow, the state capital, adding that the casualty figures might rise.

Five people were killed in New Delhi and the surrounding region, largely due to falling trees, authorities said.</s>Agency

 New Delhi: Dust storms and thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds wreaked havoc in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and the national capital, killing at least 34 people and leaving behind a trail of destruction.

 West Bengal bore the brunt of a thunderstorm that left at least 12 people including four children dead, while 11 were killed in Uttar Pradesh and nine in Andhra Pradesh, and two in Delhi, officials said.

 At several places in north India including Delhi, high-velocity winds uprooted trees and affected road, rail and air services.

 Today’s devastation comes over 10 days after storms hit UP, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttarakhand and Punjab, killing 134 people and injuring over 400. UP was the worst affected, accounting for 80 deaths, most of them in Agra district in the western part of the state.

 Subsequently on May 9, several parts of Uttar Pradesh were struck by a severe storm that left 18 dead and 27 others injured.

 According to the India Meteorological Department, thunderstorms also occurred at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Assam, Meghalaya, Maharashtara, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu today.

 A squall and dust storm with a wind speed of up to 109 kmph battered Delhi and neighbouring areas today, killing two persons and injuring 19 others, and throwing flight, rail and metro operations out of gear.

 In West Bengal, at least 12 people, including four children, were killed and over 15 injured in lightning strike amid heavy rain, an official of the state disaster management department said.

 Five deaths were reported from Howrah district, while two deaths each from West Midnapore, North 24-Parganas and Nadia districts and one from Murshidabad district.

 Eleven people have died, while 28 others were injured in Uttar Pradesh in today’s storm.

 Principal secretary (Information) Awanish Awasthi told PTI, “Four deaths have been reported from Kasganj, while two persons died in Bulandshahr. Apart from this, one death each has been reported from Kannauj, Aligarh, Sambhal, Ghaziabad and Noida.”

 In Andhra Pradesh, nine persons were killed in lightning strikes.

 While seven persons were killed in Srikakulam district alone, two more were killed in Kadapa, officials said.

 Various parts of the southern state witnessed rain, accompanied by gales.

 In Delhi, the sky turned dark grey around 4:30 pm. Gusty winds and rain lashed the national capital, causing the temperature to drop to 25.2 degrees Celsius.

 The much-needed reprieve came after a sweltering day, when the maximum temperature had reached 40.60 degrees Celsius, a notch above the normal. Humidity during the morning hours was recorded at 60 per cent, a MeT official said.

 The officials said two squalls whipped through the national capital. One clocking 109 kmph hit the Safdarjung area at 4:44 pm and continued till 4:46 pm. The other gusting to 96 kmph battered the Palam area at 4:33 pm.

 The strong winds knocked down nearly 200 trees in the city. Incidents of wall collapse were reported from Najafgarh, Transit Camp, Nehru Place, Mohan Garden in Uttam Nagar and Raj Nagar in Palam, said a senior officer of the Delhi Fire Service.

 A man was crushed to death in a wall collapse, while a woman was killed when a tree uprooted and fell on her, the police said.

 Traffic in many areas moved at a snail’s pace due to the reduced visibility.

 The inclement weather interrupted the launch of a 140 kWp rooftop solar plant at IP Extension attended by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

 Operations at the Delhi airport came to a halt due to the dust storm. At least 40 flights were diverted and more than 24 delayed, an official said.

 Metro operations were affected at a number of stations on the Violet and Blue lines after trees fell on overhead electricity (OHE) wires.

 The Northern Railways said the train movement was disrupted on the section between the Hazrat Nizamuddin and Palwal stations due to tree felling.

 A few passenger and freight trains were held up for around 25 minutes because of the disruption. The Kalka-New Delhi Shatabdi Express was also stopped near Sonepat due to uprooting of trees.

 According to MeT department officials, the Safdarjung Observatory gauged 8.3 mm of rainfall. The Palam, Aya Nagar and Lodhi Road areas recorded 0.8, 6.4 and 2.1 mm of precipitation.

 The weatherman forecast partly cloudy skies and light rainfall tomorrow.
Thunderstorms and lightning strikes kill up to 80 people in five states in India, mainly in Uttar Pradesh.