Gusty winds bring relief from heat in Delhi, UP; 61 dead in Bihar from lightning

While a sudden change in weather brought respite from the scorching heat in the national capital and its neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh on Friday lightning strikes and hailstorms in Bihar claimed 61 lives in the past 24 hours officials saidIn Bihar 39 people died owing to hailstorms and rainrelated incidents while lightning strikes claimed 22 lives news agency PTI reported Twentyfive deaths were reported on Thursday evening and following collation of data from various districts the toll mounted to 61 they saidNalanda reported the highest number of fatalities at 23 followed by Bhojpur six Siwan Gaya Patna and Sheikhpura four each Jamui three and Jehanabad two Gopalganj Muzaffarpur Arwal Darbhanga Begusarai Saharsa Katihar Lakhisarai Nawada and Bhagalpur districts reported one death eachBihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed condolences over the deaths and announced an exgratia of Rs 4 lakh each for the families of the victims reported PTIIn the national capital the maximum temperature settled at 358 degrees Celsius marking a dip of 38 notches from Thursdays high of 396 degrees celsiusStrong dust storms and gusty winds hit Delhi this evening prompting the meteorological department to warn of adverse weather conditions in the coming hours and issue an lsquoorangersquo alert for DelhiNCR National Capital Region PTI reported15 flights diverted at Delhi AirportOver 15 flights were diverted at Indira Gandhi International Airport owing to the inclement weatherldquoDue to inclement weather conditions in Delhi some of the flights at Delhi Airport are impacted Passengers are advised to contact their respective airlines for the latest flight updatesrdquo Delhi International Airport Ltd DIAL said in a post on X at 715 pmIndiGo also posted on X stating ldquoDelhi and Jaipur are experiencing a dust storm affecting takeoffs and landings and potentially causing air traffic congestion This may lead to delays or diversionsrdquoWhile heatwave conditions had been recorded at two weather stations in Delhi mdash Ridge and Ayanagar mdash on Thursday with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius all monitoring stations in the city reported highs below that mark on Friday The IMD has forecast thunderstorms with rain in Delhi on SaturdayIn western Uttar Pradesh several districts experienced light rainfall accompanied by strong winds on Friday evening providing muchneeded relief from the recent heatwaveIn Moradabad five university students sustained injuries after being struck by lightning MP Singh media incharge of the university said ldquoFive male students from various graduate programmes were on their way back to their hostel on Thursday night when it started raining Seeking shelter under a tree the students were unfortunately struck by lightningrdquoUttarakhand Nandprayag area of Chamoli district receives heavy rainfallThe weather change led to a significant dip in maximum temperatures across Uttar Pradesh with an average drop of approximately five degrees Celsius Lucknow recorded a high of 329 degrees Celsius 43 degrees below normal while Fatehpur and Banda were the hottest locations in the state at 406 degrees CelsiusThe meteorological department reported lightning and isolated hailstorms in parts of Saharanpur Moradabad and Hapur during the intervening night of Thursday and FridayIn Uttarakhand heavy rainfall lashed the Nandprayag area of Chamoli district Debris from a national highway reconstruction project flowed into nearby shops and hotels damaging goods inside officials reportedIMD advised residents to stay indoors secure windows and doors and avoid unnecessary travel It also warned of potential damage to plantations horticulture and standing crops due to strong winds and hailWith PTI inputsatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params