On April 21, severe thunderstorm activity lashed three districts of Bihar, leaving 65 dead and over 100 injured. It left a trail of destruction in Purnia, Madhubani and Madhepura districts of Bihar. Parts of Jharkhand also received thunderstorms punched with strong squally winds.
Though it is the season of Kal baisakhi or Nor'westers over Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Gangetic West Bengal, the measure of destruction over Purnia and nearby districts indicates the occurrence of a major weather activity. It could be a low-intensity tornado, which left a trail of destruction over the area.
Though meteorological instrument to measure wind speed and surface level pressure are inadequate but, the situation clearly hinted at a weather phenomenon much severe than just thunderstorms.
We can still see the cyclonic circulation over Bihar and a trough extending from the system up to Karnataka, across Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. Therefore, thundershowers are expected to continue in the region at least for next 3 days.
Isolated places could also witness severe thunderstorms accompanied by torrential rains over Bihar, Jharkhand, Gangetic West Bengal and northern parts of Odisha. The intensity of activity is not expected to as strong as the previous spell, but precautions should still be taken to avoid large scale destruction.
Picture courtesy- The Hindu
