Weather conditions in Delhi and Rajasthan started to improve on Tuesday after a dust storm hit the national Capital and Chandigarh on Monday night. The India Meteorological Department has issued a five-day weather warning, with light to moderate rainfall in the northern states.
Isolated parts of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim and sub-Himalayan West Bengal may see thunderstorm accompanied by squall on Tuesday, the India Meteorological Department said. The weather department has also forecast thunderstorm at isolated places over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Heavy rain is likely on Tuesday over Tamil Nadu, Kerala and south Karnataka, it said.
The Himachal Pradesh government on Tuesday advised residents and the tourists to avoid travelling towards high hills of Kullu, Chamba, Lahaul, Spiti and Kinnaur, as it continued to snow moderately across the state, The Indian Express reported.
No casualties were reported in the dust storm that hit the national Capital on Monday night, but the storm caused power cuts and uprooted trees in areas such as Mayur Vihar, Janakpuri and Dwarka. Places adjoining Delhi, such as Gurugram, Noida, Rohtak, Bhiwani, Jhajjar, Gurugram, Bagpat, Meerut and Ghaziabad also experienced the dust storm, ANI reported.
The Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi also asked other schools to not hold outdoor activities and extracurricular activities between 3 pm and 7 pm on Tuesday, when the wind speed is expected to be high. Six flights landing in Delhi and one flight which was to depart were delayed due to the storm.
The Delhi Traffic Police asked people to take precautions while commuting, and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said it was on alert for heavy rain. An unidentified metro official said trains would run at 40 kilometres per hour on elevated stations if the wind speed was under 90 kilometres per hour. If the winds were stronger, metro services would be suspended, he said.
Dust storms also hit Chandigarh, parts of Punjab and Haryana on Monday evening. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar cancelled the holidays of municipality officials, according to the Hindustan Times.
Haryana had announced on Sunday that schools would remain shut until Tuesday. All schools in Ghaziabad will also remain closed on Tuesday.
More than 115 people died and dozens were injured in squalls and sandstorms in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh on May 2. At least 10 died in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh following heavy rain on May 3. Many people were also injured in these states, as well as in Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana.
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