UNSEASONAL RAINS that lashed many parts of the State late Friday evening and continued on Saturday as well due to western disturbance caused a sudden drop in day the temperature even as seven persons, including two women and an infant, were killed by lightning on Saturday.
However, in a few areas hailstorm and high velocity winds caused some damage to crops ready for harvest. Reports from Gwalior, Guna, Jabalpur, Indore and other places speak of rains since Friday evening and the return of chill, forcing people to take out their mothballed woollens.
A Jabalpur report said that as many as six people were killed and two others injured in Sihora and Katangi villages when lightning struck their thatched houses.
Dark clouds hovered all over, reducing visibility to near zero in some places during the day on Saturday. Agriculture director Sangram Singh Tomar said that widespread crop damage is not expected due to the present spell of rain.
He said that pulses like chana and masoor would benefit in areas that received light rains. Some damage is expected to pulses ready for harvest in Gwalior and Sagar divisions, he warned adding that hailstorm in at least five districts of Sehore could also damage crops there.
The Meteorological Department has forecast the activity for one more day only. “Rain and thunderstorm activity would be experienced during the night intervening Saturday and Sunday in Gwalior, Chambal, Jabalpur and Rewa divisions and this too would clear out on Sunday,’’ Regional Meteorological Centre director Dr D P Dubey said.
{{/usCountry}}The Meteorological Department has forecast the activity for one more day only. “Rain and thunderstorm activity would be experienced during the night intervening Saturday and Sunday in Gwalior, Chambal, Jabalpur and Rewa divisions and this too would clear out on Sunday,’’ Regional Meteorological Centre director Dr D P Dubey said.
{{/usCountry}}Spell of medium to heavy showers accompanied by thunderstorm and high velocity winds were experienced in most parts of State.
Dubey said that the weather activity was particularly strong because of moisture feeding from both Arabian Sea as well as Bay of Bengal.
Jabalpur and Raisen recorded 3 cm rainfall each by 8.30 am on Saturday. Sheopur Kalan recorded 2 cm while many areas including Sagar, Khajuraho, Satna, Guna, Gwalior and Hoshangabad recorded one cm of rainfall each.
In Gwalior and Jabalpur, the day temperatures were recorded below 20 degrees mark.