Squall at 100 km/hr leaves Chandigarh powerless

A squall blowing at speeds up to 100 kilometer per hour accompanied by around 31 mm rain over an hour and a half left a trail of destruction in and around Chandigarh on Saturday night, with normal power and water supply still to be restored in some pockets till late on Sunday evening.

According to India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials, the squall began around 10:15pm on Saturday, and soon most parts of the city went into darkness. While the thunderstorm got over by around 11:30pm, light rain continued till the wee hours of Sunday.

Around 72 trees and 60 electricity poles were uprooted due to the high-speed winds, damaging property and blocking roads across Chandigarh. Several transformers also developed snags.