IMD issues thunderstorm alerts across India; heavy rain, hailstorms strong winds likely in multiple states

NEW DELHI: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday issued a nationwide weather alert, forecasting widespread thunderstorms, rainfall, lightning, and gusty winds across several regions in the coming days.In its latest bulletin, the agency flagged intensified weather activity over eastern, central, and northeastern India, warning of heavy rain, thundersqualls, and possible hailstorms.According to the IMD, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim are likely to receive widespread rainfall between March 21 and 24, with isolated spells of heavy to very heavy rain on March 21. Thundersqualls with wind speeds of up to 80 kmph are expected in parts of Gangetic West Bengal, while Odisha may witness gusty winds reaching up to 70 kmph, accompanied by possible hailstorm activity.IMD issues nationwide alert: Rain, thunderstorms, gusty winds to hit these states; all you need to knowIn Northeast India, fairly widespread rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds is expected over Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura. Isolated heavy rainfall is also likely over Assam, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh on March 24. Meanwhile, parts of East and Central India—including Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh—are likely to witness scattered rainfall along with strong winds over the coming days.Northwest India is set to see a fresh wet spell, with light to moderate rain and snowfall predicted over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand on March 23. East Uttar Pradesh may also experience fairly widespread rainfall, with gusty winds reaching up to 40 kmph.Speaking on Friday, IMD Scientist Akhil Shrivastava said, "A large-scale thunderstorm activity is currently being witnessed across India. In Delhi, rainfall activity occurred yesterday, resulting in a significant drop in maximum temperatures. Our forecast indicates that similar intermittent rainfall activity is likely to occur during the evening hours today. However, this activity is expected to subside in Delhi starting tomorrow, with the probability of rain decreasing from tomorrow onwards." "While conditions are mainly cloudy today, they are expected to become partly cloudy tomorrow. Compared to yesterday, a slight further decline of about 2-3°C may be observed in maximum temperatures today. Nevertheless, temperatures are expected to begin rising again after tomorrow," he said.Shrivastava further noted that an 'Orange Alert' had been issued for regions including eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and parts of West Bengal due to expected thunderstorms, gusty winds, and possible hailstorms. "Wind speeds in eastern India may reach 60 to 70 kmph, posing potential risks," he said. Meanwhile, southern states and parts of Maharashtra are likely to witness scattered rainfall, even as hot and humid conditions persist over Kerala, coastal Karnataka, and Goa.(With agency inputs)