Vendor killed as storm uproots SMC signboard

Surat: The sudden thunderstorm on Thursday evening claimed one life in the city as a Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) signboard collapsed on a 48-year-old man.Nitin Vaja was standing near Shayona Plaza in the Parvat Patiya selling snacks — ghugras — when the signboard collapsed due to heavy winds and fell on him. Vaja, a resident of Kargil Chowk, was serving his customers when the metal signboard was ripped off its base and fell on him, killing him on the the spot. The thunderstorm also caused many trees to be uprooted in the city, including one on Pandesara-Barmorli Road. A large metal shed on a terrace collapsed near Dabholi Crossroads. The storm, with winds heavily laden with dust, brought the city to a halt for a couple of hours in the evening. Two workers at the Surat airport parking were also injured after when their was blown away by the strong winds. The bad weather caused air traffic to be disrupted. A Bangkok-Surat flight flew around the city for more than 90 minutes. The flight was to land at 7.40pm but finally landed at around 9.15pm. Apart the Delhi-Surat flights of IndiGo and Air India Express also landed late. Flights from Surat to Kolkata and Hyderabad departed more than an hour late. Due to the bad weather in Saurashtra, the Delhi-Rajkot flight was diverted to Surat.Unsettled weather continued across Saurashtra and Kutch on Thursday, with several parts of the region receiving unseasonal rain, hail and strong winds. Rajkot, despite cloudy skies and intermittent showers in nearby areas, recorded the highest maximum temperature in the region at 37.5°C.In Saurashtra, Jetpur and Jamnagar were among the worst hit, with strong winds damaging electricity poles and causing localized power outages. Dust storms swept parts of Jamnagar before rain arrived, reducing visibility and coating roads and rooftops in a layer of dust. Porbandar and Junagadh also reported spells of rain, while Junagadh's Bhesan, Vanthli and Keshod talukas recorded heavy showers, with some villages in Bhesan witnessing hail. Kutch saw widespread rainfall from Wednesday night onwards, affecting Rapar, Mundra, Kandla and Bhuj. Several parts of the Rann reported dust storms as gusty winds picked up ahead of the showers. The unseasonal spell has taken a toll on agriculture across Saurashtra and Kutch. Mango orchards—particularly in Vanthli, Junagadh, Bhesan and Keshod—reported severe losses as half-ripe fruit fell due to strong winds. Farmers also reported damage to wheat, chickpea and cumin crops, many of which were close to harvest. Ahmedabad woke to an early-morning dust storm and saw drizzles in the evening. Residents reported rattling windows, uprooted trees and homes coated in fine dust as visibility briefly dipped. The IMD attributed the unstable conditions to an upper-air cyclonic circulation over west Rajasthan and a western disturbance over north Pakistan. According to the IMD, temperatures across Gujarat may dip slightly over the next 24 hours before rising again. The current spell of rain and thunderstorms is likely to subside, with dry conditions expected from March 21.