Monday’s thunderstorm leaves one dead in Darjeeling: Norwester wreaks havoc in Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, massive damage reported

Amitava Banerjee, MP, Darjeeling, March 18, 2026 :The thunderstorm that raged through the Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts on Monday evening has left one person dead, leaving behind a trail of destruction. Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning for enhanced thunderstorm activity in North Bengal districts for the next four days.

The IMD has issued an ‘Orange warning’ of thunderstorm, lightning, hail and gusty wind for the Darjeeling Hills for March 20 and 21, along with a ‘Yellow warning’ of thunderstorm for multiple districts of North Bengal for March 18, 19, 20 and 21.

“A person named Amardeep Rai (26 years), resident of Gielle Bhanjyang under Rangli Rungliot block, was struck by a fallen tree on Monday evening. He was admitted at the Takdah Block Primary Health Centre and subsequently referred to the district hospital. He succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday,” stated Sunil Agarwal, District Magistrate, Darjeeling, talking to the Millennium Post.

The District Magistrate added that three persons were injured and 116 houses were damaged in the storm. He further said that 37 trees were uprooted, while 17 schools and six other properties, including community halls, creches and HWCs, were damaged. In addition, five cowsheds and seven kitchen sheds were also affected in the Darjeeling district. Restoration work has ensued on a war footing.

“The entire Darjeeling sub-division was without electricity on Monday night owing to safety issues, as a lot of electric poles had been uprooted and wires lay everywhere. On Tuesday, by 2 pm, 6 out of the nine 33/11kv substations were repaired and connection was restored. 110 trees have been cleared. We hope to restore electricity by tonight. We are patrolling all lines from pole to pole to avoid any untoward incident. Our workers are working relentlessly,” added Deepen Khawas, Divisional Manager, WBSEDCL.

“Enhanced thunderstorm warning has been issued for North Bengal districts with gusty winds (30-40 km per hour) in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar on March 18 and 19 with light and moderate rain or thundershowers (yellow warning). However, on March 20 and 21, there is an orange weather warning with thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds (50 to 60 kmph) likely in Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur and Malda. Residents have been asked to remain alert,” stated Gopinath Raha of IMD, Gangtok.

The storm also caused damage in the Mirik and Kurseong subdivisions, leaving several families homeless and damaging property. The worst-affected area was Sohrasale village under Ward No. 9 of Mirik Municipality, where the impact of the natural calamity was particularly severe.

Norwester wreaks havoc in Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, massive damage reported

MP, Siliguri/Jalpaiguri, March 18, 2026 : A sudden and intense storm, accompanied by heavy rain and lightning, triggered widespread destruction across Siliguri and adjoining areas, as well as parts of Jalpaiguri district on Monday night, leaving several homes damaged and disrupting power supply in multiple locations.

In Fulbari-II Gram Panchayat, several houses were severely damaged. Around 25 houses made out of tin in the Jaydev Bhita area near Jatiyakali were affected, with some completely collapsing and others damaged by uprooted trees. Many areas were plunged into darkness after electric poles were damaged and power supply was disrupted.

In Naxalbari, localities such as Bengai Jote, Phutani More, and Rathkhola witnessed similar devastation. Strong winds uprooted over a hundred trees, damaging at least five houses and snapping electric wires, leaving several villages without power. Siliguri city was also impacted, with trees falling in multiple areas. In Shaktigarh in ward number 31, a massive tree fell on a house, trapping two residents who were later rescued by fire brigade personnel. At Gandhi Maidan in Ward No. 8, a large banyan tree collapsed onto a shop, narrowly missing the shopkeeper. Electric poles were damaged in wards 1 and 28 as well.

Emergency teams, including the Siliguri Municipal Corporation, police, fire services and disaster management units, launched restoration work overnight. Soon after the storm, Mayor Gautam Deb visited affected areas. On Monday morning, too, he revisited all the affected sites in Siliguri and assured all possible help.

The storm also wreaked havoc across Jalpaiguri Sadar, Rajganj, and Maynaguri blocks. Strong winds uprooted trees in several places and blew off the roofs of numerous rural houses. Electricity services were severely disrupted as poles collapsed and wires snapped. Police personnel and Civil Defence volunteers worked through the night to restore normalcy.

The worst-affected areas included Dharmapur, Padamati 1, and Padamati 2 gram panchayats. Similar storm conditions were reported in Maynaguri, Malbazar and Jalpaiguri town, where falling trees and damaged electric lines added to the disruption. Residents described moments of panic as the storm swept through the region.

After the situation stabilised, administrative officials, including Maynaguri BDO Prasenjit Kundu, visited the affected areas to assess the damage. “A few minutes of storm caused damage in several gram panchayat areas. The extent of the loss is being assessed,” the BDO said. Authorities are continuing restoration work while assessing the full extent of the damage.

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post