Patna: After nearly two weeks of temperatures hovering above 40 degrees Celsius, residents across Bihar woke up to heavy rainfall in all 38 districts on Friday morning, bringing much-needed relief from the scorching heat. However, the sudden weather change also caused widespread disruption, with strong winds, power outages and damage to infrastructure reported from several parts of the state.The maximum wind speed recorded in the capital touched 107 kmph during the storm. Among all districts, Gopalganj and Siwan received extremely heavy rainfall, with Siwan recording 135mm. In Patna district, Punpun received the highest rainfall of 68mm.Heavy rainfall was recorded in Siwan, Gopalganj, Patna, Nawada, Saran, Gaya and Kaimur, among other districts. The India Meteorological Department (IMD), Patna, has issued an orange alert for the next 24 hours, particularly for districts in south Bihar, including Banka and Bhagalpur.IMD officials said the current weather system is likely to remain active for the next two days, after which temperatures are expected to rise again. From June 2 onwards, the mercury is likely to cross the 40-degree Celsius mark in several parts of the state.Sanjay Kumar, a meteorologist at IMD Patna, said the sudden storm was triggered by atmospheric instability over Bihar.“This instability developed as moisture-laden winds arrived from the Bay of Bengal and collided with the extreme heat that accumulated over the past fortnight,” he said.While Patna recorded the highest wind speed at 107 kmph, Gaya experienced gusts of up to 74 kmph during the peak of the storm.The weather change led to a sharp drop in temperatures. Patna recorded a maximum temperature of 26.2 degrees Celsius on Friday, while the highest maximum temperature in the state was recorded at Bhabua in Kaimur district at 34.5 degrees Celsius.The high-velocity winds severely affected infrastructure. In the capital, the storm disrupted electricity supply across the Patna Electric Supply Unit (PESU) area. Uprooted trees, fallen advertising hoardings and damaged transformers caused major blackouts in many localities.PESU general manager Dilip Kumar Singh said, “Restoration operations began immediately after the winds subsided. Utility crews successfully restored power to 70% of the affected areas by 9 am and progressed to 90% coverage by 10 am. Power was fully restored to the final, worst-hit pockets by 11 am.”The North Bihar Power Distribution Company Limited (NBPDCL) reported that most damage to rural and semi-urban power infrastructure occurred in Purnia, Katihar and Forbesganj. Officials said uprooted trees falling on overhead transmission lines were primarily responsible for the disruptions.The power utility confirmed that electricity supply has since been fully restored in all affected areas.According to the latest IMD bulletin, the orange alert will be downgraded to a yellow alert from Sunday onwards. Northern and western districts are likely to witness thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds of 40-50 kmph till June 2.
