You could barely see where you were going in Churu on Monday as a wall of dust rolled in and the day’s weather in Rajasthan got severe. It was enough to scuttle any travel plans. The IMD has put out an alert, so there are more turbulent times in store for some parts of the state.
What happened in Churu
Some time after 2 pm, a storm put up a huge screen of dust over Churu. For a while, you couldn’t see a thing. Folks in the area made for cover as the streets and houses were in for about 30 minutes of being completely shrouded.
If you look at the kind of footage that has been put around by the news and those who track the weather, you’ll see the dust and the trees being put in their place by the gusts. Locals say the wind was close to 70 kmph at its height before it let up.
Then the reprieve came. Some of the district has seen some rain come in on the heels of the storm, which has done some good in breaking up the heat we’ve been having here of late.
Travel and safety impact
You can only imagine the slowdown on the highways and back roads when the dust makes it impossible to see. The sky was a wash and with the crosswinds, a lot of drivers just put in their brakes. The word from the authorities was to be very careful.
There are pictures from this afternoon of the dust on the move and cars making slow work of the road. You could tell how hard the storm was hitting by the way the trees were lashing about and how the view from the street was non-existent.
Here is what you need to know from the afternoon:
– In some of Churu, you were down to zero visibility
– We saw winds of almost 70 kmph at the top end
– A lot of drivers had to pull up or put on the brakes for their own good
Forecast and where the risk persists
The India Meteorological Department is calling for more of the same in pockets of Rajasthan in the next few days – we’re talking thunder, dust and rain, all thanks to a western disturbance. They have already been seeing some of it in a number of districts.
Dhoplur has had the most of it in terms of rain. And from Jaipur, the Centre is forecasting some strong 60-70 kmph winds with light to moderate rain in isolated spots in Bikaner, Jaipur, Ajmer, Bharatpur, Kota, Jodhpur and Udaipur later on.
Beyond Churu: a wider burst of severe weather
It wasn’t just in one town. Bikaner also had a run-in with a bad storm and a big dust wall, showing you how fast it can turn in the northwest. There are some clips online of the Bikaner skyline being put behind a dense sheet of dust.
We have had our share of pre-monsoon trouble in Rajasthan these past few weeks with the dust and the wind making life a bit of a hassle for anyone outside. This is part of a larger pattern for the state right now.
Why it matters in the pre-monsoon window
This is what you get in the pre-monsoon in Rajasthan, meteorologists will tell you. When the hot desert air runs into the kind of systems we have in north India, you can have a wall of dust and a squall in a hurry, and then some rain to cool things off.
It is a case of whiplash for those on the road or at home. One minute you are in the dust, the next you are in a shower, and you have to make up your mind in a jiffy.
What to watch next
Keep an eye on the local reports and any word from the district while the western disturbance is in play. Things can be very different from one spot to the next, with storms coming and going in a flash.
– You can count on some 60-70 kmph winds with the odd thunderstorm in a few divisions
– Some of the dust will be followed by rain, if only for a little while
The spectacle in Churu should be enough to put you on notice: in the pre-monsoon, you have to be on top of it, and you don’t want to miss an IMD alert.
