Unseasonal Rains and Hailstorms Batter Maharashtra: Orchards Damaged, Two Farmers Killed by Lightning
Unseasonal rains and hailstorms hit parts of Maharashtra, damaging orchards and summer crops. Two farmers died due to lightning, while strong winds uprooted trees and snapped power lines, disrupting life.
Pune, May 06, 2025: In a sudden and severe weather shift, several parts of Maharashtra—including Marathwada, East Vidarbha, Ahilyanagar, and Pune—were struck by intense pre-monsoon showers accompanied by hail and lightning on Monday. While the scorching heat had dominated the region for the past few months, the unexpected rains wreaked havoc on standing crops and claimed two lives.
The rainfall, which began in the afternoon, caught many off guard. Hailstorms pounded areas like Khed and Ambegaon in Pune, Vankute in Ahilyanagar’s Parner taluka, and various districts across Marathwada including Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Parbhani, and Nanded. Eastern Vidarbha’s Wardha and Chandrapur also reported heavy downpours.
Mango, banana, jambhol, and vegetable orchards were hit hardest. In several places, gusty winds uprooted banana plants and trees, while power lines were snapped due to falling poles—disrupting electricity in rural areas. The damage comes as a major blow to farmers who were preparing for harvest.
Tragically, two farmers lost their lives to lightning strikes. Sachin Madhukarrao Magar (35) from Marwadi village in Ambajogai taluka and Ashok Nandu Maske (23) from Kodapur in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar died while working in their fields during the storm.
In Parbhani’s Kanhegaon (Purna taluka), high-speed winds lasted for nearly half an hour, toppling trees and further damaging fruit-bearing plants. Jalna also experienced a hailstorm in the afternoon, with the Kharpudi Agricultural Science Center recording 26.20 mm of rainfall. The Waluj and Adgaon Budruk areas witnessed hailstones ranging from gram-sized to nearly the size of small lemons.
In Latur, heavy rain disrupted daily life and impacted electricity supply, leaving many residents stranded. Meanwhile, Wardha and parts of East Vidarbha reported widespread losses in rice paddies, mango orchards, and summer vegetable crops.
With the official monsoon still weeks away, the damage from this pre-monsoon fury is being assessed. Farmers across these regions now face not only financial strain but the emotional toll of losing their hard-earned produce—and in some cases, lives.
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