Whilst the rainfall brought relief from the scorching heat that had prevailed in the country, it also caused loss of life and property in many places.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, temperatures across the national capital dropped sharply over the past 48 hours—by over 9 degrees at some stations.
The IMD has forecast thunderstorms accompanied by rain to persist until May 31. For Saturday, the weather office has predicted a minimum temperature of around 23 degrees Celsius and a maximum temperature of around 35 degrees Celsius. A yellow alert has been issued for thunderstorms accompanied by rain.
In Uttar Pradesh, the IMD forecast widespread rain and thunderstorms across the state over the next two days and warned of strong winds, lightning, hailstorms, and heavy rainfall in isolated areas.
Three people were killed and at least four were injured in rain-related incidents in Madhya Pradesh's Bhind on Friday evening. Strong winds that accompanied the rain uprooted trees and caused walls to collapse, reports said.
One person died and two were injured in Atarsoha tehsil in roof and wall collapse incidents. One person died in Sadripura village of Bhind tehsil. One person died and two girls were injured in Sarva village of Gohad tehsil, news agency PTI quoted officers as saying.
Efforts are being made to identify the deceased, and the injured have been admitted to hospitals. Several bovines were also killed due to the adverse weather in Bhind, officials reportedly added.
Meanwhile, seven people died in rain-related incidents across six districts of West Bengal. Kolkata and several districts of south Bengal witnessed thunderstorms that caused the tragedy.
The inclement weather affected services at the Kolkata airport, with reports of both arrival and departure of flights remaining suspended for over an hour amid waterlogged airstrips. The IMD's Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore said enhanced thunderstorm activity is likely over south Bengal during the next two days, owing to favourable wind patterns and strong moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal.
In neighbouring Odisha, hot and humid weather will prevail in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghapur, Cuttack, Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Khurda, and Nayagarh districts on Saturday.
Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty surface winds with speeds reaching up to 60–70 kmph are likely to occur in Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Angul, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Boudh, Nuapada, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, and Deogarh districts on Saturday, the IMD said in a bulletin.
An 'orange warning' has been issued for these districts for Saturday. A 'yellow warning' (be aware) has been sounded for Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghapur, Cuttack, Bargarh, Dhenkanal, Sonepur, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Khurda, and Nayagarh districts.
Jharkhand also witnessed rainfall, whilst people in Uttarakhand have been told to expect a fresh spell of light to moderate rain, thunderstorms, and snowfall in the higher reaches for Saturday. It issued a 'watch' warning, advising residents to be aware of isolated thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds reaching speeds of 40 to 50 kmph.
