By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 18: One person died while another was injured as hailstorms and lightning ravaged the state in the last few days.
The Meghalaya State Disaster Management Authority reported widespread damage following a series of storms, hailstorms, and lightning strikes between March 13 and March 17.
According to preliminary reports and FIRs received from various districts, 30 blocks covering 745 villages have been affected, impacting 48,490 people.
The report indicates that 13,076 houses have been damaged. While one human life was lost and another person sustained injuries, no cases of missing persons have been reported so far.
Sixty-six cases of infrastructure damage have been recorded. Agricultural land, measuring 0.4 hectares, has also been affected. No animal deaths have been reported.
The affected districts are East Khasi Hills, West Khasi Hills, Ri-Bhoi, South West Khasi Hills, East West Khasi Hills, West Jaintia Hills, East Jaintia Hills, West Garo Hills, East Garo Hills, South Garo Hills, South West Garo Hills, and North Garo Hills.
Severe weather predicted
A prolonged spell of unsettled weather is set to grip Meghalaya over the next seven days, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting thunderstorms and varying intensity of rainfall in all districts from March 18 to March 24.
The district-wise bulletin issued by the Meteorological Centre, Shillong, indicates that the initial phase on March 18 and 19 will see isolated to scattered light rain, accompanied by thunderstorms in most parts of Khasi, Jaintia and Garo Hills regions. The probability of occurrence during this period remains in the 25 to 50 per cent range, suggesting a “likely” chance of precipitation without widespread coverage.
Weather conditions are expected to turn more active from March 20, when fairly widespread rainfall is forecast across the state. The probability rises to 50-75 per cent, with several districts likely to experience moderate rain along with thunderstorms. This marks the peak phase of the wet spell, with consistent cloud build-up and atmospheric instability driving rainfall across multiple regions.
The unsettled conditions are expected to persist through March 21 to March 23, with light to moderate rain and thunderstorms in most districts.
By March 24, the intensity of the system is likely to ease slightly, with rainfall activity reducing to isolated to scattered light rain and thunderstorms across parts of the state.
The IMD’s warning maps place Meghalaya under a yellow alert for the next five days, indicating the likelihood of thunderstorms and lightning while ruling out any severe or extreme weather events. Rainfall during the forecast period is expected to remain largely within the light to moderate category, with no indication of very heavy or extremely heavy rainfall.
