HYDERABAD: The unpredictability of nature was on display in Hyderabad on Friday — extreme heat in the afternoon followed by a blinding downpour in the early evening that left at least 48 trees uprooted in its wake.
Signs of an approaching thunderstorm were evident by 5 pm, with little sunlight filtering through the dense cloud cover. When it began to rain about half an hour later, the consequences were familiar — waterlogged roads, traffic congestion and power outages caused by tree branches falling on power lines and blowing fuses.
By the time the rain subsided, 48 trees had been uprooted, with strong winds also breaking numerous branches. DRF teams were still clearing the debris at the time of reporting.
The thunderstorm made driving nearly impossible — even four-wheelers were reduced to a crawl. Citizens were seen taking shelter in shops, under flyovers or beneath Metro viaducts. The TGDPS said that Chandrayangutta received the highest 80.5 mm of rainfall while Santoshnagar received 63.2 mm.
IMD forecasts more rain over six days
The downpour lasted over two hours, flooding several roads and neighbourhoods across the city. Street vendors were forced to close as the rainfall intensified.
Areas including Tolichowki, Shaikpet, Raidurgam, Jubilee Hills, Banjara Hills, Film Nagar, Nanal Nagar, Langar Houz, Golconda, Old City, Masab Tank, Khairatabad, Tank Bund, Raj Bhavan Road, Lakdi-ka-Pul, Punjagutta, Somajiguda, Begumpet, Prakash Nagar, Secretariat Road, SD Road, Mettuguda, Uppal, Secunderabad, Rani Gunj, Nampally, Koti, Abids, Moazzam Jahi Market and Afzal Gunj experienced severe waterlogging, disrupting commutes.
Traffic personnel were seen guiding vehicles and clearing drains to help ease the flooding. Light rain was also reported in Medchal-Malkajgiri, Vikarabad, Siddipet and Medak districts.
The IMD stated that a trough extends from North Madhya Maharashtra to the Gulf of Mannar across Marathwada, interior Karnataka, Rayalaseema and Tamil Nadu at 0.9 km above mean sea level. Low-level southerly/south-westerly winds prevail over the state.
Light to moderate rain or thundershowers are expected to continue across the state for the next six days.
The IMD has issued a yellow alert for thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds of 30–40 km/h at isolated locations in the districts of Mulugu, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Khammam, Nalgonda, Suryapet, Mahbubabad, Warangal, Hanamkonda, Jangaon, Siddipet, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Rangareddy, Hyderabad, Medchal-Malkajgiri, Vikarabad, Sangareddy, Medak, Kamareddy, Mahbubnagar, Nagarkurnool, Wanaparthy, Narayanpet and Jogulamba Gadwal.
Over the next 48 hours, Hyderabad is expected to experience a generally cloudy sky with light to moderate rain or thundershowers and gusty winds of 30–40 km/h. Maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be around 37°C and 26°C, respectively. Surface winds are expected to be south-westerly at speeds of 6–8 km/h.