New Delhi, May 13:  A squall and dust storm followed by rain lashed the northern states of India on Sunday, bringing a sudden change in the weather.  The strong winds and rain have demolished homes and displaced trees across the nation, killing many people. A potentially deadly weather has been forcasted by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) for the next few days.

In Uttar Pradesh, nine people have been killed and about 34 have been injured in after a thunderstorm hit the state. As per reports, a woman was killed and one man was seriously injured after a hoarding fell on them due to heavy dust storm in Greater Noida. In Ghaziabad, one person was killed and 4 were injured after a tree fell on them near Lal Kuan Shiv temple during the thunderstorm. Heavy rainfall and lightning took lives of 8 people in Kolkata. Out of eight, four were children.

Giving some relief to people from the scorching heat, the rains have brought the temperature of the northern states few notches down. Flight movements at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport have been put on hold, due to the thunderstorm and about 70 flights have been diverted due to bad weather conditions in Delhi.

A squall and dust storm with a wind speed of up to 109 kmph barrelled through Delhi and neighbouring areas. The storm affected flight, rail and metro operations, uprooting trees, and leading to incidents of wall collapse. The sky turned dark grey around 4:30 pm. Gusty winds and rain lashed the national capital, causing the temperature to drop around 10 notches.

Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh are likely to witness thunderstorm, while parts of Rajasthan might see a dust storm. The upcoming thunderstorm is the result of a new western disturbance, said the IMD on Saturday. Several states in north India have witnessed erratic weather pattern over the fortnight. Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have alone witnessed over 120 deaths due to thunderstorm and violent winds in the first week of May.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 13, 2018 10:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).