Patna: Heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds lashed Patna and several districts of Bihar on Monday, providing relief from humid conditions but causing traffic snarls, waterlogging, and damage to infrastructure at various locations.
Rain Affects Multiple Districts
Rainfall was recorded in 16 districts, including Patna, where the sky turned dark in the afternoon. Strong winds uprooted trees, snapped power lines in many areas, and caused pillar cladding (tiles) to fall at the arrival areas of Patna airport. However, no casualties were reported.
Commuters and pedestrians in the city were caught off guard as several vehicles became stuck. Waterlogging was witnessed in various pockets and low-lying localities.
Authorities Respond to Waterlogging
Sanitation workers and field officers, including ward members, visited their respective areas to address the waterlogging issues. “All drainage pumping stations at 38 sump houses in the city are running to drain out the accumulated water from different localities. The officers have been asked to monitor the situation and act accordingly on the complaints,” said Sweta Bhasker, Public Relations Officer of Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (BUIDCO). Patna Mayor Sita Sahu stated that officers and sanitation workers are monitoring the situation and using additional drainage pumping sets wherever required.
Weather Alerts and Forecasts
The India Meteorological Department issued red alerts for several districts, warning of thunderstorms, lightning, and squalls with winds reaching up to 60 kmph on Monday. Meteorologists attribute the unstable weather to atmospheric disturbances and moisture incursion. Forecasts suggest that such thunderstorm activity with intermittent rain may persist for the next few days before the system weakens.
In the bulletin, weathermen forecast that gusty winds (40-60 kmph) with thunderstorms and lightning are likely at isolated places in different parts of the state during the next 24 hours. “On May 6, heavy rainfall along with gusty winds (50-60 kmph) and thunderstorms are expected in districts including Araria, Katihar, Kishanganj, and Purnea, besides south-central and south-east parts of Bihar. Similar thunderstorm activity with gusty winds is forecast till May 9,” said Deepankar Singh, duty officer at the Patna Met office.
He added: “Maximum temperatures are likely to remain nearly unchanged in the next 24 hours, followed by a fall of 3-4 degrees Celsius. Minimum temperatures may drop by 2-3 degrees initially before rising gradually in the next 2-3 days.”
Rainfall and Temperature Records
Patna recorded 39 mm of rainfall until evening on Monday, with a maximum temperature of 33.2 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 24.7 degrees Celsius. Notable rainfall (in mm) included Kanti 33.4, Marwan 30.2, Katihar 25, Lalganj 22.2, and several other stations recording between 15-20 mm. The highest maximum temperature was recorded at Bhabhua with 36.6 degrees Celsius, with state temperatures ranging between 26 and 36 degrees Celsius. A drop of 3-4 degrees was noted in north-western parts. The lowest minimum temperature was 21.4 degrees Celsius in Valmiki Nagar (West Champaran).
