PUNE: Parts of Maharashtra received their first forecast for hailstorm for the season at isolated locations on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Farmers in several districts of Madhya Maharashtra had been cautioned as most of their rabi crops, such as wheat, chickpeas and sorghum, fruits and vegetables were at harvesting stage and could get damaged due to hail, strong winds and rain, an official from IMD told TOI.
“Farmers had been advised to harvest mature crops before the hail spell or cover them,” the official added.
Anupam Kashyapi, head of weather forecasting division, IMD, Pune told TOI that there was also possibility of strong winds (momentarily even up to 30-40 km/hr), light/moderate rainfall with thunderstorm/lightning/ strong gusty winds over parts of Maharashtra till Thursday due to wind confluence and trough in easterlies over the central parts of country.
“Isolated hailstorm is also likely over the northern districts of Madhya Maharashtra on Tuesday and Wednesday. Pune city, too, is likely to get very light to light rain, thundery activity and instances of strong winds on these days,” he said.
Kashyapi said a western disturbance was affecting North India, while moist winds over the state were blowing from the Bay of Bengal. “Wind discontinuity is causing interaction between two opposite wind systems over parts of Konkan-Goa, Madhya Maharashtra, a part of Marathwada and west Vidarbha. These conditions are likely to cause instances of thunder, lightning and light rains in parts of the state,” he said.
Wheat crops stood the risk of getting wet at maturity stage due to the upcoming isolated ,light spells of rain, which could later cause fungal infection in the crop, Kashyapi said. Strong winds could also cause lodging of wheat plantations, and hence, farmers would have to take suitable measures, he added.
Thunderstorms and hail have been forecast over Nandurbar, Dhule, Jalgaon and Nashik on Tuesday and Wednesday. For wheat, gram, chickpeas, sorghum, maize, papaya , banana and vegetable plantations, advisories by Agromet Field Units and District Agromet Units stated that farm produce might get affected due to the thunderstorm accompanied with rainfall.
