
One dead as Nor'wester causes havoc in Deogarh town, leaves a trail of damage
DEOGARH: A Nor'wester ripped through Deogarh town and its surrounding three blocks on Wednesday evening, leaving a trail of damage. The summer storm, accompanied by heavy rain, thunder and powerful wind struck around 5 pm, uprooting trees, snapping electric poles, and severely damaging houses and infrastructure.
A 10-year-old girl, Smruti Behera of Chuakhola village under Kundheigola police limits died after being struck by lightning while she was out to relieve herself. She was rushed to the district headquarters hospital (DHH) but declared dead on arrival.
In a separate incident, Kajol Munda and her four-year-old son Shivaraj Munda were critically injured after a fallen tree struck their home at Mirigidia Sahi in Deogarh town. Similarly, one Sumant Liha of Nilberni Sahi suffered head injuries, while Jit Bhoj was hurt by lightning and hospitalised.
Around 30 electric poles were uprooted mostly in Deogarh town and Tilebeni block villages, leaving roads blocked with fallen wires and debris, disrupting electricity supply across the district. The Ranchi-Vijayawada highway experienced traffic disruption for hours due to downed power lines and fallen trees blocking the key arterial route.
The storm damaged old town areas around Petrol Pump Sahi, Nilberni Sahi, and Mirigidia Sahi, where temporary roofs were blown away. Houses suffered partial to severe damage as trees crashed onto rooftops. In Kalanda village under Tileibani block, asbestos roofs were stripped from houses while Kalamati and Sunamunda villages witnessed extensive roof damage.
Following the storm, authorities including Deogarh municipal council's acting chairman Prajit Kumar Bhoj and executive officer Krupasindhu Swain visited the affected areas and victims late Wednesday evening. Fire service teams worked to clear fallen trees and debris to reopen roads. Power supply was restored to Deogarh town by this morning, with restoration work continuing in other areas.

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Time of India
10-06-2025
- Time of India
High humidity makes life uncomfortable for people
Bhubaneswar: Oppressive humidity made life difficult in coastal districts with people reporting high levels of discomfort though temperature varied between 34°C and 38°C Monday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Bhubaneswar recorded a maximum of 37.6°C with relative humidity peaking at 89% in the morning and remaining at 58% by evening, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Some districts witnessed Nor'wester rain in the evening with one person dying in lightning strike in Jajpur district. Several other coastal districts like Cuttack, Puri, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, and Kendrapara, also reported similar hot and humid conditions. In Cuttack, the maximum temperature was 37.4°C with humidity ranging from 77% in the morning to 64% in the evening. Puri experienced 35.6°C with evening humidity as high as 77%. According to weather scientists at IMD, by 11:30 am on Monday, Bhubaneswar recorded a temperature of 35.4°C with humidity at 68.4%. The heat index was 51°C. The measure of discomfort felt due to increased heat and humidity is known as heat index, IMD sources said. Similarly, in Puri, where the day temperature was 36°C at 11:30 am and humidity 68.5%, the heat index was 53°C affecting normal life. "Heat and humidity are unbearable and quite oppressive. Many elders and children fell sick due to such weather conditions. Even in the shade, it feels like we are suffocating. The sweating doesn't stop, and there is no relief unless you stay in an air-conditioned room," said Ranjan Pal, a tourist from West Bengal. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The weather scientists attributed the discomfort to high atmospheric moisture content being pulled in from the Bay of Bengal. The synoptic situation shows the monsoon's northern limit now passing through Bhawanipatna and Puri, while an upper air cyclonic circulation over the south-east and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal may bring some rain to the state from Tuesday, IMD sources said. The IMD has issued a yellow warning for several districts, including Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Khurda, Puri, Nayagarh, Ganjam, and Gajapati, for hot and humid conditions over the next two days. Besides, thunderstorms with lightning and gusty surface winds of 30 kmph to 40 kmph are expected at isolated places. Even hilly and tribal-dominated districts like Koraput, Malkangiri, and Rayagada reported maximum temperatures above 36°C with humidity ranging from 70% to 87%. Rainfall has been patchy. Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and nearby areas recorded traces of rain in the past 24 hours, but not enough to bring relief.


New Indian Express
06-06-2025
- New Indian Express
One dead as Nor'wester causes havoc in Deogarh town, leaves a trail of damage
DEOGARH: A Nor'wester ripped through Deogarh town and its surrounding three blocks on Wednesday evening, leaving a trail of damage. The summer storm, accompanied by heavy rain, thunder and powerful wind struck around 5 pm, uprooting trees, snapping electric poles, and severely damaging houses and infrastructure. A 10-year-old girl, Smruti Behera of Chuakhola village under Kundheigola police limits died after being struck by lightning while she was out to relieve herself. She was rushed to the district headquarters hospital (DHH) but declared dead on arrival. In a separate incident, Kajol Munda and her four-year-old son Shivaraj Munda were critically injured after a fallen tree struck their home at Mirigidia Sahi in Deogarh town. Similarly, one Sumant Liha of Nilberni Sahi suffered head injuries, while Jit Bhoj was hurt by lightning and hospitalised. Around 30 electric poles were uprooted mostly in Deogarh town and Tilebeni block villages, leaving roads blocked with fallen wires and debris, disrupting electricity supply across the district. The Ranchi-Vijayawada highway experienced traffic disruption for hours due to downed power lines and fallen trees blocking the key arterial route. The storm damaged old town areas around Petrol Pump Sahi, Nilberni Sahi, and Mirigidia Sahi, where temporary roofs were blown away. Houses suffered partial to severe damage as trees crashed onto rooftops. In Kalanda village under Tileibani block, asbestos roofs were stripped from houses while Kalamati and Sunamunda villages witnessed extensive roof damage. Following the storm, authorities including Deogarh municipal council's acting chairman Prajit Kumar Bhoj and executive officer Krupasindhu Swain visited the affected areas and victims late Wednesday evening. Fire service teams worked to clear fallen trees and debris to reopen roads. Power supply was restored to Deogarh town by this morning, with restoration work continuing in other areas.


India.com
25-05-2025
- India.com
Delhi rains: What is causing unseasonal storms, heavy rainfall in Delhi-NCR? IMD says reason is...
Delhi was lashed by unseasonal heavy rains and thunderstorms on Saturday. (ANI/File) Delhi rains: Delhi and its surrounding National Capital Region (NCR) was hit by pre-monsoon heavy rains, accompanied by gusty winds and thunderstorms that brought relief to people from the sweltering summer heat. However, such type of weather is not usually expected in the months of April to mid-May before the onset of monsoon. Then, what is causing these unseasonal storms and heavy rains in the Delhi-NCR region? The answer lies in the now undeniable climate change, which has caused the Kalabaisakhi or Nor'wester– a pre-monsoon phenomenon which is commonly associated with Eastern India, but has now presumably expanded to the Northern region due to changing climate patterns, according to weather agencies. What is a Nor'wester aka Kalabaisakhi? Locally known as Kalbaisakhi, a Nor'wester is a pre-monsoon phenomenon that usually occurs in Eastern parts of the country, bringing sudden heavy rains, accompanied by strong winds and severe thunderstorms in states like West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Jharkhand, and Bihar, and some of parts of neighboring Bangladesh. The 'Nor'wester' is so named because storm usually moves from the northwest towards the east, while its local name 'Kalbaisakhi' loosely translates to 'calamity that strikes in the month of Baisakh (April-May). A Nor'wester or Kalbaisakhi storm is characterized by strong, powerful winds that can exceed 100 km/h, and move in a straight line akin to a Derecho– a wind pattern where winds move in a straight line unlike a Tornado, which is distinguished by its curly wind pattern. The pre-monsoon storm is often accompanied by sudden, heavy rainfall, which can trigger flash floods, akin to what was witnessed in Delhi-NCR on late Saturday night. What caused heavy rains, pre-monsoon storms in Delhi NCR? According to weather agencies, various weather phenomenon are responsible for Saturday's intense spell of heavy rains and thunderstorms in Delhi-NCR region such as western disturbances, which are low-pressure systems originating from the Mediterranean region that trigger unseasonal showers in north India, including the national capital. Additionally, upper cyclonic circulations over nearby over nearby regions like Haryana or Rajasthan, can lead to heavy rains and thunderstorms in Delhi-NCR. A recent spell of rains in Delhi-NCR is being attributed to this weather system. Apart from the above factors, other phenomenon such as convective systems, which are created by rapid upward movement of humid, moist air, can cause thunderstorms in Northern India. Further, the influence of monsoon trough starts increasing by late May when it moves south from its normal normal position, increasing moisture and contributing to stormy weather in the region.