Emergency warning alerts flashed across mobile screens in Delhi-NCR and neighboring regions of northern India on Thursday, alerting residents to a looming severe thunderstorm. The government notification warned of imminent lightning, heavy downpours, and destructive winds reaching up to 100 kmph across multiple districts in western Uttar Pradesh.

"Severe Thunderstorm (wind speed 70-90 KMph gusting to 100 kmph or more) with Lightning and Moderate to intense spell of rain and Hail is very likely to occur at a few places over your district in next 3 hours," the notification read.

A two-wheeler rider had a narrow escape when an electric transformer and several poles came crashing down amid high-speed winds and rain that lashed Jammu on Thursday evening.

This sudden weather change brought down temperatures, offering much-needed relief from the prevailing heatwave conditions.

During the day, Jammu city recorded a maximum temperature of 41.3 degrees Celsius, which is 3.8 degrees higher than normal. Samba experienced even hotter conditions, reaching 46.1 degrees Celsius, causing significant disruption to normal life in the region.

As strong winds swept across parts of the national capital on Thursday night, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for Delhi for the next few hours, warning of thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds.

The weather office forecast very light to light rainfall at most places and moderate rainfall at isolated locations, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and strong surface winds of 70-80 kmph, gusting up to 90 kmph.

Dust-raising winds are also likely over several parts of the city.

A red alert signifies "take action" and is issued when severe weather conditions pose a threat to life and property, requiring residents and authorities to take immediate precautions.

The Shimla Meteorological Office on Thursday issued an orange alert for hail, thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds with speeds of 40-50kmph in five districts in Himachal Pradesh.

The warning has been issued for Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla and Sirmaur for Friday. The Met also forecast a wet spell in the state till June 17.

Light to moderate rainfall was recorded at a few places in the state. Sarahan received 40.5 mm of rain followed by Dadahu 8 mm, Kangra 5.2 mm, Kalpa 4.4 mm, Saloni and Bhuntar 3.2 mm each, Chamba 2 mm, Nahan 1.2 mm, Dhaulakuan, Kalpa and Bharmaur 1 mm each while Ponta Sahib and Manali received traces of rain, the Met Office said.

Kukumseri was the coldest at night recording a low of minus 6.9 degrees Celsius, while Una was the hottest during the day with a high of 44 degrees Celsius.

With the monsoon season approaching, Rajasthan will activate round-the-clock disaster control rooms across the state from June 15 as part of a comprehensive preparedness plan to tackle floods, heavy rainfall, waterlogging and other natural disasters, Disaster Management and Civil Defence Minister Kirodi Lal Meena said on Thursday.

Reviewing monsoon preparedness at a state-level meeting at the Secretariat, Meena directed all departments to ensure coordinated and advance planning to safeguard lives and property during any emergency.

Stressing that public safety remains the government's top priority, the minister said all necessary arrangements must be put in place beforehand to ensure prompt relief and rescue operations during disasters.

He stressed that based on past experiences and assessment of vulnerable areas, flood-prone and waterlogging zones should be re-identified and essential resources must be pre-positioned in such locations.

"Preparedness, timely warning, quick response and effective coordination are the key pillars of successful disaster management," Meena said.

Rajasthan is likely to receive respite from heatwave conditions as the weather office has predicted rain and dust storm from Friday under the influence of a fresh western disturbance. Between June 11 and June 14, strong winds with speeds of 50-60 kmph are likely in parts of the Bikaner, Jaipur, Ajmer and Bharatpur divisions. Light to moderate rainfall may also occur at isolated places during this period.

The Southwest Monsoon has further advanced into some more parts of Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, remaining parts of Tamil Nadu & Puducherry, southwest Bay of Bengal, some more parts of westcentral and northwest Bay of Bengal and West Bengal, and some parts of Bihar, today. The conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon into some more parts of central Arabian Sea and Maharashtra, remaining parts of Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, west-central and north-west Bay of Bengal, some more parts of West Bengal and Bihar, some parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh during the next two-three days.

Heavy rain hit Dehradun today, bringing relief from the prevailing heat in the Uttarakhand capital. The Garhi Cantt area of Dehradun received heavy rainfall as weather conditions changed across the city. The IMD has forecast rain accompanied by lightning, hailstorms, and strong winds across Uttarakhand.

Rajasthan is likely to witness relief from the ongoing spell of heat and humidity from today as a western disturbance becomes active over the state. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), parts of the Bikaner, Jaipur, Ajmer, and Bharatpur divisions are expected to experience thunderstorms, gusty winds of 50-60 kmph and light to moderate rainfall between June 11 and June 14.

The IMD on Thursday predicted moderate to heavy rainfall in several parts of Kerala during the day and also issued an orange alert in two districts of the state for Thursday morning.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert in Alappuzha and Kottayam for three hours in the morning and said there was a likelihood of heavy rainfall and strong winds in parts of these two districts.

An orange alert means very heavy rain of 11 cm to 20 cm.

Additionally, it predicted thunderstorms with moderate rainfall and surface winds of speeds between 40-50 kilometres per hour in several other districts, including Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, and Ernakulam.

(PTI)

Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) are likely to witness a sudden spell of severe weather over the next two hours, with a dust storm followed by a thunderstorm, light rainfall and lightning, according to the latest forecast. 

Gusty surface winds reaching speeds of 40 to 60 km per hour are also expected, which may lead to reduced visibility and minor disruptions across the region.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds in 11 districts of Tamil Nadu over the next two days, with the prevailing weather system expected to trigger widespread rain across the state and neighbouring Union Territories for at least a week.

According to the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), a low-pressure area extending from the central Bay of Bengal to coastal Karnataka remains active, passing through parts of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and interior Karnataka.

The system is expected to influence weather conditions across Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal, resulting in continued rainfall activity in several regions. The weather office said heavy rain accompanied by gusty winds is likely on Thursday and Friday in the hilly and adjoining areas of Tirunelveli and Coimbatore districts, as well as Kanyakumari, The Nilgiris, Vellore, Tirupattur, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Erode, Salem and Ranipet districts.

(IANS)

The Meteorological Centre, Bhopal, has issued a fresh weather alert warning of widespread thunderstorms, lightning, hailstorms and gusty winds across Madhya Pradesh over the next five days.

The bulletin highlights significant rainfall activity and strong winds already recorded in several districts, with Shahpura-Jabalpur receiving 29.3 mm of rainfall, Patan 15.8 mm and Kurai 15 mm.

Gusty winds touched 74 kmph in Jabalpur and 68 kmph in Sidhi, while hailstorms were reported in Jabalpur and Damoh.

According to the forecast, moderate thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and wind speeds gusting up to 70 kmph are likely on Wednesday evening over Chhindwara, Pandhurna, Seoni, Balaghat, Dindori, Katni, Satna, Chitrakoot, Maihar, Panna, TR and Umaria/Bandhavgarh.

Light thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and winds of up to 50 kmph are expected over Betul, Mandla/Kanha, Anuppur, Amarkantak, Shahdol, Jabalpur, Bhedaghat, Chhatarpur, Khajuraho, Damoh, Ujjain, Mahakaleshwar, Ratlam, Narsinghpur, Rewa, Mauganj, Sidhi and Singrauli districts.

The IMD has further warned of gusty winds ranging between 40 kmph and 60 kmph in different regions through June 14.

On June 12, hailstorms accompanied by thunderstorms are likely in Datia, Bhind, Morena, Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh and Niwari districts.

(IANS)

Punjab's Bhatinda is the hottest city in India, with a maximum temperature of 46.2 degrees Celsius. 30 cities reported a maximum temperature above 43 degrees Celsius today.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast on Wednesday that the monsoon will reach several states in the next 3-4 days.

"Conditions are favourable for further advance of the southwest monsoon. In the next 3-4 days, the monsoon will advance into Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, the remaining parts of the southwest Bay of Bengal, some more parts of West Bengal, and some parts of Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha," the India Meteorological Department forecast on Wednesday.

The monsoon covered all northeastern Indian states on Tuesday.

The weather in Uttarakhand is set to change over the next two days, bringing relief from the persistent heat of the past week. According to the Uttarakhand Meteorological Centre, hailstorms and rain accompanied by strong winds are expected in most parts of the state on June 11th and 12th. The weather office has issued an orange alert for rain and hailstorms accompanied by strong winds on June 11th and 12th.

The affected districts are: Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri, Haridwar, Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar, and Champawat.

The southwest monsoon has intensified over Karnataka's coastal districts, prompting the IMD to issue a 'red alert' for Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts amid forecasts of extremely heavy rainfall over the next two days.

Since the onset of the monsoon along the Karnataka coast, the region has witnessed widespread and incessant rain, with several areas recording heavy to very heavy rainfall.

Rivers, streams, and low-lying areas have begun receiving substantial inflows, while authorities are monitoring vulnerable locations for possible flooding and landslides.

The India Meteorological Department has issued a 'red alert' warning of extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, with Uttara Kannada also expecting heavy rain.

(PTI)

The IMD on Wednesday issued an orange alert in two districts of Kerala for the morning and predicted thunderstorms with moderate rainfall and strong winds in various parts of the state where the southwest monsoon remains active.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert in Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts of the state for three hours starting 10 am.

An orange alert means very heavy rain of 11 cm to 20 cm.

Additionally, it predicted thunderstorms with moderate rainfall and surface winds of speeds between 40-50 kilometers per hour in these two districts as well as Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Thrissur, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod districts of the state.

(PTI)

Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 22.9 degrees Celsius, 6.3 degrees below the season's average on Wednesday, with the weather office predicting a partly cloudy sky.

Among other weather stations in the national capital, Palam recorded a minimum temperature of 28 degrees Celsius, while Lodhi Road registered 22.8 degrees Celsius, 4.6 degrees below normal.

The Ridge station recorded a minimum temperature of 27.4 degrees Celsius, 0.9 degrees below normal, and Ayanagar logged 28.4 degrees Celsius, 0.4 degrees above normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The weather office has forecast a partly cloudy sky with possibility of development of thunder and lightning. It has predicted a maximum temperature of around 43.5 degrees Celsius for the day.

(PTI)

At least two persons were electrocuted, and a massive traffic jam was reported in Hyderabad as the southwest monsoon brought widespread rainfall across Telangana.

The deaths were reported in Hyderabad's Mylardevpally area on Tuesday evening, when a low-tension streetlight cable was accidentally damaged and fell on the road during drain excavation work. The live electrical wire reportedly remained submerged in rainwater that had accumulated on the road following continuous rainfall.

The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Chennai has forecast widespread rainfall across Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal over the next few days under the influence of a low-pressure system over South India.

According to a weather bulletin issued by the Centre, several parts of the State are likely to receive light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning on Wednesday.

Isolated places in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal are expected to witness rainfall. At the same time, heavy rainfall is likely at one or two locations in the hilly regions of Tamil Nadu's Tirunelveli district and the hill areas of Theni and Kanniyakumari districts.

The weather office has also warned of strong surface winds with speeds ranging between 40 kmph and 50 kmph in these regions during thunderstorm activity.

For Thursday, the RMC has predicted light to moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning at a few places across Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal.

Heavy rain is likely to continue at isolated locations in the hill areas of Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari districts of Tamil Nadu, with strong winds expected to accompany the showers.

The rainfall is expected to intensify further in parts of western and northern Tamil Nadu in the coming days.

(IANS)

The world has just experienced the second-hottest May since records began, as climate change and the developing El Nino weather pattern conspired to push up average land and sea temperatures, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on Wednesday.

(Reuters)