Ranchi: The city witnessed an unprecedented weather event on Friday afternoon as a severe hailstorm, accompanied by thunderstorms and powerful winds, swept through the urban areas. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert of several parts of the state in its nowcast bulletin, warning residents of the inclement weather conditions.
The storm's fury left its mark across the city, with multiple incidents of uprooting trees reported. A huge tree near the Bangla School in Upper Bazar was uprooted while another one fell on a public toilet facility near the Bada Talab during the intense rain and high-velocity winds.
Ranchi IMD head Abhishek Anand said, "An orange alert has been issued for several districts in the northeast and central parts of the state. These conditions are expected to persist until Wednesday. We strongly advise residents to exercise caution and avoid open areas during storms."
The IMD's nowcast warning included a red alert for East Singhbhum and Khunti, predicting gusty winds of 50-60 km/h. An orange alert was issued for Dumka, Deoghar, Giridih, Simdega, Saraikela Kharsawan, and Gumla, warning of thunderstorms and winds reaching 40-50 km/h.

Additionally, central and southern districts, including Ranchi, Khunti, Bokaro, and Simdega, remain under a yellow alert for thunderstorms with wind speeds potentially reaching 40-50 km/h until Wednesday.
Friday's meteorological data revealed Ranchi recorded a maximum temperature of 32.4°C and a minimum of 20.3°C, with rainfall measuring 5.2 mm by 5:30pm. Baharagora in East Singhbhum registered the maximum rainfall at 10.5 mm
Trishna Das, an Assam native visiting the city, described the terrifying experience: "The hailstorm caught everyone off guard. The hailstones were extraordinarily large, resembling ice balls, and we experienced two rounds of intense hail storm. The first wave was particularly frightening, with deafening noise that made indoor communication nearly impossible. It felt apocalyptic with massive hailstones hammering down."
Most regions, except western districts, are forecast to experience isolated rainfall through Wednesday.
Daltonganj recorded the day's highest temperature at 39.6°C.