Heavy rain and dust storm hits northern India.
Strong winds of up to 47mph (75kph) lashed through the north of the country on Wednesday, killing several people and uprooting trees and power lines. The winds created a heavy dust storm which blew through the country’s capital, New Delhi. Following the dust, a line of thunderstorms developed, lashing the region with torrential rain.
The storms were the result of a disturbance in the Jet Stream, a fast current of air flowing about 10km above the surface of the Earth. The heavy rain gave some relief from the intense heat which has gripped much of the country over the past few weeks, with temperatures falling from the mid 40C’s (113F) to 37C (99F).
Forecasters at the Indian Meteorological Office expect the rain to continue over the next few days, but the heavier thunderstorms are not expected to cause any more problems as they travel eastwards over the Bay of Bengal.
