Patna: The India Meteorological Department (IMD), Patna, issued an orange alert on Friday, warning of gusty winds reaching 50-60 kmph, hailstorms and lightning across several districts in Bihar, including Aurangabad, Gaya, Jamui, Nalanda, Sheikhpura and Sitamarhi on Saturday.Similar conditions with high-velocity winds and thunderstorms are expected in Patna, Bhojpur, Begusarai and Bhagalpur, while Darbhanga, Madhubani and Muzaffarpur remain under watch for high-speed winds and lightning. The disaster management department has advised residents in the affected regions, including Saran and Vaishali, to remain indoors as moderate to heavy rainfall persists across the state.“The pre-monsoon season is favourable for hailstorms mostly over the northern districts of Bihar. This is a common phenomenon accompanied by severe thunderstorms and gusty winds,” said Sanjay Kumar, meteorologist at IMD Patna. He added, “The size of hail depends on the intensity of the storm. This adversely damages whatever crops are present in the field due to the force with which the hail falls, and is bad for the farmers because rabi crops are almost ready during this time.”Regarding the movement of the weather system, Kumar said, “It started from the western side, but if the intensity increases more, then it can go on towards Banka as well.” He added, “The forecast will continue till Saturday, but the intensity will be less. People should avoid being outdoors and stay under solid roofs to avoid being hit by hail. These are short-term weather conditions that are intense for the time being but calm down very soon.”However, according to the IMD bulletin issued on Friday, there is a weather warning regarding hailstorms and thunderstorms/lightning at a few places in Araria, Banka, Bhagalpur, Katihar, Kishanganj and Supaul districts. Similar warnings have been issued for north-west, north-central, south-west and south-central districts of the state as well.This is happening as a western disturbance is currently moving through the middle atmosphere, and at lower levels a cyclonic circulation remains active over Gangetic West Bengal and Bangladesh. The lowest minimum temperature recorded on Friday was 17.5 degrees Celsius in Rohtas, whereas the highest maximum temperature in the state was recorded in Kaimur at 38 degrees Celsius.Maximum temperatures across the state are expected to fall by 3-5 degrees Celsius over the next 48 hours, while minimum temperatures are forecast to drop by 1-4 degrees Celsius during the same period. Following this two-day cooling period, both day and night temperatures will begin a gradual increase over the subsequent three days.
