Patna: Bihar witnessed a dramatic shift in weather on Tuesday, offering respite from the scorching sun as heavy rain and thunderstorms swept across several districts. Patna, Gopalganj, Motihari, Bettiah, Sitamarhi, Shivhar, Begusarai, Gaya, Bhagalpur, and Bagaha experienced intense rainfall accompanied by thunder and lightning, creating an eerie daytime scene reminiscent of night. However, the relief was marred by tragedy as lightning struck three places in Gaya, claiming the lives of two individuals and injuring 10 others.
The deceased have been identified as Saroj Devi from Bara Baijda village of Fatehpur and Vishwanath Yadav, aged 45, from Dangra Panchayat, Fatehpur. Among the injured are Sachin Kumar (12), Savitri Devi (35), Kamlesh Kumari (11), Lakshmi Kumari (13), Vinod Kumar (30), Shilpa Kumari (16), Nagendra Manjhi (39), Muskaan Kumari (17), Sonam (15), and Dheeraj (25).
The sudden change in weather also affected Patna, where heavy rainfall led to power outages in various parts of the city. Despite the inconvenience caused by the power failure, residents welcomed the relief from the sweltering heat.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), north Bihar is likely to experience further rain accompanied by thunderstorms, with wind speeds reaching 40 to 50 kilometers per hour.
In terms of temperature fluctuations, Araria district recorded the lowest minimum temperature at 28.3 degrees C, while Dehri registered the highest at 40 degrees C.
The IMD has issued yellow and orange alerts for several districts across the state, indicating the severity of the weather conditions. Yellow alerts have been issued for Katihar, Purnia, Araria, Madhepura, Kishanganj, Supaul, and Saharsa, while orange alerts are in place for East Champaran, West Champaran, Gopalganj, Siwan, Saran, Muzaffarpur, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Vaishali, Samastipur, Darbhanga, and Madhubani.
The influx of moist air from the Bay of Bengal is expected to continue influencing Bihar’s weather patterns, potentially leading to further changes. From the evening of May 5, many districts are expected to experience cloudy conditions and increased moisture levels, resulting in a drop in maximum temperatures. Weather fluctuations are anticipated in various parts of the state, including Patna, until May 9.
