Unseasonal rain, hailstorms hit crops in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region

Mumbai: Maharashtra's Vidarbha region has received unseasonal rainfall along with hailstorms, affecting various crops including cotton, an official said on Sunday.

Nagpur, Yavatmal, Wardha and Amaravati districts in the Vidarbha region reported heavy spells of showers followed by gusty winds and hailstorms on Saturday.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a forecast of unseasonal rains in the area on Saturday.

"Crops such as cotton, wheat, gram, tur (pigeon peas) were flattened due to the downpour and wind. The state revenue officials will conduct an assessment of the damage soon as the farms are currently wet," a revenue official from Wardha district said.

The MeT department has issued a 'yellow alert' for most parts of Vidarbha on Sunday also, saying thunderstorms and rainfall are very likely at isolated places in the region.

There are "51 to 75 per cent chances" of rainfall in the Vidarbha region, as per the MeT department's forecast.