A 25-year-old folk artist, Swaroop Khan, was killed and three others injured when a resort wall collapsed during a strong dust storm in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. The incident occurred during an evening cultural programme in the Sam tourist area, disrupting power supply and raising concerns about resort safety.
A high-velocity dust storm hit the national capital and regions of Haryana and Rajasthan. The storm, with a wind speed of 70 kilometres per hours, hit Delhi around 11.20 pm on Monday, an official at the Safdarjung observatory said. Here's a glimpse of the storm and all that it brought along with it.
A cyclonic circulation over Haryana was the trigger for the deadly dust storm that swept parts of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, weather experts said.
Traffic was thrown out of gear; visibility dipped, leading to delays in flights.
The dust storm was an outcome of the extremely hot conditions.
A dust storm also hit the national capital on Saturday and its surrounding areas that had been reeling under the scorching heat for a few days.
The chief minister visited several villages in Khairagarh tehsil, the worst affected in the dust storm that left a trail of death and destruction, disrupting power lines, uprooting trees and claiming the lives of over 40 people in Agra alone.
The NDMA added that the National Capital Region, and Hisar, Kaithal, Jind, Kurukshetra, Karnal in Haryana is likely to be again hit by the unusual weather on Wednesday.
The sky turned cloudy around 4:30pm and gusty winds swept the national capital.
Parts of south, east and northeast India are expected to get some relief from the blistering heat, with the onset of monsoon expected to take place over Kerala on Saturday.
Authorities alerted people to avoid staying outdoors and L-G ordered to halt all civil construction activities across the city till Sunday.
A sudden change in weather brought respite to the residents of national capital New Delhi as gusts of wind carrying thick dust blew across the region on Saturday afternoon.
'The link between global warming and weird, extreme weather events is being better understood every year.' 'India is particularly at risk from such events.' 'Indian communities and urban centres don't have the resilience needed to survive such disasters,' says Mihir S Sharma.
Experts warn that a new government definition of the Aravali Hills, accepted by the Supreme Court, could lead to environmental degradation and expose Delhi and surrounding regions to harsher weather and drought conditions.
'The natural barrier that is Aravalli, you are demolishing it, then who will stop the desert?' 'In future, I predict that people will roam around with oxygen cylinders in Delhi because they won't be able to breathe.'
Authorities have suspended civil construction works in Delhi and Haryana as part of emergency measures to improve air quality.
In a tweet, the prime minister's office said, Modi has approved an ex gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund for the kin of those who have lost their lives.
West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are the states most likely to be hit again.
Western disturbances are near Pakistan-Afghanistan and are moving towards Delhi and thunderstorms or dust storms are likely to be experienced in northwest India, senior scientist at IMD RK Jenamani told ANI.
Thunderstorms and dust storms are 'very likely' on Tuesday too, the weather office warned.
The national capital, parts of which reeled under heatwave conditions for the past few days, had some relief on Wednesday with strong winds and partly cloudy skies witnessed during the day.
Villagers speak in utter disbelief of the havoc wreaked by the storm, which claimed the live of over 100 people.
'After the 4th of May we can expect thunderstorms, dust storms and some rain over a large area of north India.'
The heat wave continued across the northern region of the country on Wednesday where Sriganganagar in Rajasthan sizzled at a high of 49.3 degree celsius.
"Conditions are favourable for dust storms over Delhi and nearby areas. We are expecting a fall in temperatures," Dr R D Singh of the Indian Meteorology Department said.
The mercury in Delhi, which recorded its hottest day of the year so far at 45.6 degrees Celsius on Sunday, came down to 42.4 degrees Celsius, according to the India meteorological department.
No part of northwest, central and east India is likely to record a heatwave over the next five days, the MeT office said.
The six-day Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm Rally through Rajasthan is a test of skill and endurance, says Aakash S Paul.
The mercury at the Safdarjung Observatory is expected to breach the 43-degree mark on Thursday and touch 44 degrees Celsius by Friday, according to the India meteorological department.
The TDP and JD-U will have a lot to answer inside Parliament, day after day, session after session, notes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Gandhi, on the other hand, has also reached out directly to the party workers in the three states to know their top choice for the chief minister post through an internal mobile messaging app, party leaders said.
Large swathes of the country reeled under heatwave conditions on Tuesday with Churu in Rajasthan recording a high of 48 degree Celsius.
Several parts of north and west India reeled under scorching heat wave with the temperature touching 50 degree Celsius in Rajasthan's Churu district on Tuesday, even as the meteorological department predicted very heavy rainfall in Assam and Meghalaya till May 28.
Light to moderate rainfall in various parts of the country, including Delhi, on Tuesday brought respite from the scorching sun but heat wave claimed 16 more lives in Andhra Pradesh and three in Odisha, raising the nationwide toll to 2,357.
These photographs show India in various colours and moods in 2015.
The four, including two women, were seated in S-8 and S-9 coaches, which are non-AC, and other passengers claimed that they died due to excessive heat.
'Not a single bullet was fired, but we were warning the enemy not to continue with their antics!' IAF Veteran Air Commodore Nitin Sathe finds out how the Light Combat Helicopter, which will be inducted into the IAF on October 3, was designed, developed and flown.
'It is high time that we act instead of just talking about how and why the climate is changing.'
Temperatures have soared to 50.3 degrees Celsius, but no deaths from the heat have been reported from Churu.
In line with exit poll predictions, the Bharatiya Janata Party has taken an early lead in Uttar Pradesh, after one hour of counting.
