© India ExpressWhile the hailstorm was particularly intense over the weekend, parts of Vidarbha and Marathwada had also reported thunderstorms since Monday.
Some parts of rural Maharashtra woke up to a white blanket this morning,
with an unusual spell of hailstorms. The unusual spell of hailstorm and heavy rainfall that started early this morning has claimed two lives in Maharashtra. The gusty winds and hailstorm have also destroyed standing crops of wheat, grapes and chickpea in Jaalna, Beed, Buldhana, Washim, Amravati and Akola districts of Vidarbha and Marathwada regions.
Not just that,
the heavy rainfall has destroyed most of the winter crop that was ready to be harvested.On February 7, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued an advisory stating the possibility of hailstorm in parts of Maharashtra. However, the MET officials stated that this was just an advisory issued at a very primary stage but not a warning.
Taking a serious note based on the advisory issued by MET, the state government on Saturday(February 10) had warned the farmers to be prepared for a hailstorm.
Comment: See also this report from the state of Maharashtra: Unusual hailstorm kills 2 and damages crops in India