Thunderstorm warning for north India

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India continues to reel under extreme weather conditions and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued fresh warnings of thunderstorms, high winds and squalls over northwest India on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Other states including Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and West Uttar Pradesh have also been put on alert. Thunderstorms and squalls with expected windspeeds of between 50 and 70 km/h could hit northwest India, IMD warned.

Last week, dust storms and thunderstorms killed more than 130 people. Storms also devastated standing crops in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and neighboring states.

The Delhi and Haryana governments decided to close all evening schools and sent rescue teams to strategic locations. “All evening schools will remain closed tomorrow following the weather warning,” a senior government official told the Press Trust of India (PTI).

The Haryana government has also canceled the leave of all officials in civic bodies across the state.

Delhi Police issued an advisory asking people to be cautious and prevent travel during high winds. “Widespread thunderstorm activities are very likely to occur simultaneously over northwest, central, east, northeast and peninsular India from May 13 onwards,” the IMD said in a press release issued on Tuesday.

The Indian government has approved compensation of nearly 3,000 US dollars each from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund for the next of kin of those who lost their lives due to the severe dust storm.

[Top Image: Surrender Kumar, 35, stands on the debris of his house devastated by severe thunderstorm in Kheragarh on the outskirts of Agra on May 4, 2018. Kumar lost his 10-year-old son, and 5-year-old nephew in the storm. /VCG Photo]