The Hindu : Front Page : Squall, rain create havoc; mercury dips

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 07, 2007
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Squall, rain create havoc; mercury dips

Staff Reporter

One killed in East Delhi wall collapse; more dust storms, light rain predicted today

AFTER THE DOWNPOUR: This here is the scene on a Delhi road after dust storm and rain lashed the Capital on Sunday. Photo: V.V. Krishnan

NEW DELHI: Strong dusty winds and heavy rain swept over most parts of the Capital on Sunday afternoon, bringing down trees, water logging roads and forcing the mercury to dip in its wake.

The skies suddenly changed colour towards late afternoon as dark clouds gathered overhead and soon the city was caught in swirling dust coupled with thunder, lightening and rain. People were seen running helter-skelter for refuge and vehicles drove with their headlights on as they navigated through the cover of darkness.

The Meteorological Department at Safdarjung recorded 7.8 mm of rainfall.

The sharp showers flooded streets and the travails of drivers and pedestrians were made worse by broken branches of trees lying sprawled on roads in the wake of the freak weather.

A 16-year-old boy, Kishan, was killed and another was injured in a wall collapse at Pandav Nagar in East Delhi, while reports of fallen trees blocking traffic poured in from several parts of the city.

"The squall lashed around 3-10 p.m. and lasted about a minute," said a Met official. "The wind speed was around 72 km per hour and it continued for a while after the squall."

The dust storm brought the mercury down, that was hovering around 39 degrees Celsius. The temperature dipped by 8 degrees bringing it to a pleasant 31 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature recorded was 40.6 degrees Celsius, a degree above normal. The minimum temperature on Sunday morning was 24.8 degrees.

The Met official attributed the squall to upper air cyclonic circulation in three different regions. "There were cyclonic circulations in eastern Uttar Pradesh and neighbourhood, Jammu and Kashmir and north Pakistan as well as Uttarakhand and neighbourhood," the official said.

More dust storms could lash the city on Monday with the weatherman forecasting mainly clear skies but not ruling out dust and thunderstorms towards evening. The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 41 degrees.

According to the BBC Weather 5 Day Forecast website, light showers could be expected on Monday with the maximum temperature being around 38 degrees Celsius.

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