GUWAHATI, April 16 - Heavy downpour accompanied by hailstorm and lightning at places lashed the State during the morning hours today, leading to the death of at least one person, while damage to the property and infrastructure has also been reported from different areas of the State.
A major tragedy was averted when a Druk Airways flight of Bhutan carrying 90 passengers, hit by the hailstorm, managed a safe landing at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport here. The flight was on its way to Bangkok from Paro of Bhutan, via Guwahati.
According to the reports from the Regional Meteorological Centre here, rain and/or thundershowers are likely to occur at most places over Assam and Meghalaya and at many places in the rest of the region in the next 24 hours.
The RMC has also issued warning that heavy to very heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places over Assam and Meghalaya on April 17 and 18. Thundersquall with wind speed exceeding 60 kmph accompanied by hail is also likely to occur at isolated places over Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram and Tripura on April 17, the report stated.
Incessant downpour since morning today threw normal life out of gear in Guwahati and nearby areas. Today being a Saturday provided succour to many, specially school students, but those on the streets faced immense problems while braving the rain throughout the day. The morning hours also witnessed waterlogging in many areas, including Anil Nagar, Down Town, Sarumotoria, VIP Road, Panjabari, Nabin Nagar and Rajgarh. Water, however, receded from most of the localities by the afternoon. However, in some low-lying areas, water entered dwelling houses.
The weather forecast for Guwahati and neighbourhood areas suggests a cloudy sky with the possibility of rain and thundershowers. The maximum temperature is most likely to be 27 degree Celsius on Sunday.
The inclement weather also caused inconvenience to traffic movement with clouds reducing the visibility to a great extent in the first half of the day and in the afternoon. Vehicles plied on the road at many places between 10 am to noon, turning their car headlights on. The near-darkness also caused some panic among the people. The weather also affected the Bihu functions being held in different parts of Guwahati.
