A powerful dust storm swept through Kalyan in Thane district on Thursday evening, creating panic among residents and disrupting normal movement in several areas across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Dramatic visuals circulating on social media from Kalyan, Airoli, Digha, Shilphata and Thane showed massive clouds of dust covering the sky as fierce winds lashed the region. Trees were seen swaying dangerously due to the strong gusts, while visibility dropped sharply in several locations. The sudden weather activity left commuters and locals startled as dark dust clouds quickly spread across the skyline, indicating the arrival of an intense thunderstorm system over the region later in the evening.
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Mumbai Rains issued an urgent weather alert through its official X handle, warning residents about a dust storm likely to impact Thane and nearby MMR regions for the next one hour. The weather update stated, “Dust storm just hit Thane hard! Strong winds from an approaching thunderstorm kicked up thick dust clouds in Majiwada & Ghodbunder. Visibility zero.” The alert was posted around 4:30 PM and cautioned citizens to remain alert as severe weather conditions continued to develop rapidly. Several residents also shared videos online showing reduced visibility, flying dust and sudden strong winds affecting traffic movement and outdoor activities across multiple areas of Thane district.
According to updates shared by Mumbai Rains, huge thunderstorm formations developed over the MMR region and began moving towards Thane and Mumbai, increasing the possibility of lightning strikes and heavy rainfall in many localities. The weather monitoring handle stated that several areas were likely to witness intense showers accompanied by thunder and lightning activity within a short span. Live visuals from Mulund also showed dark clouds and flashes of lightning in the sky as storm conditions intensified. Authorities and weather observers placed Mumbai on standby alert for the next hour, urging residents to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel during the sudden change in weather conditions.