A powerful hailstorm accompanied by winds gusting at over 50 kmph, thunder, lightning and heavy downpour affected city life late on Tuesday night, even as it brought much needed relief from the harsh summer. In one hour, about 2 cm of rainfall was recorded in the city.
Roads blocked
Traffic flow was affected in the arterial roads as the heavy rain and gales reduced visibility in many areas. Key roads between Bowenpally to Paradise Junction, Punjagutta to Srinagar Colony, Masab Tank to Toli Chowki, Jubilee Hills Checkpost to KBR Park, Malakpet to Chaderghat were blocked due to reduced visibility and vehicle breakdowns. Water logging and swirling waters in streets further affected commuters.
A Doppler radar image of Met Department showed the intensity of the storm in the worst affected areas of Secunderabad Cantonment, Malkajgiri, Safilguda, Khairatabad, Rajendranagar, Qutbullapur covering most parts of the city.
Electric supply was disrupted in many parts of the city with Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited putting out messages in the social media about power disruption in various areas from 10.30 p.m. onwards. In two hours, nearly 60 11KV substations were affected plunging the city into darkness. GHMC sprang into action with emergency teams attending to reports about fallen trees in Yousufguda, Srinagar Colony and snapped electric wires in Dilsuknagar, Banjara Hills and other areas.
A cyclonic circulation over the northern parts of Telangana is reported to be the reason for the storm. According to a private weather forecaster, “A trough is also seen extending from the North Vidarbha region in Maharashtra to South Tamil Nadu across Telangana and Rayalaseema. These isolated thunderstorm activities are expected to continue for the next two days.”
