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Hawaii remains under a statewide flood watch after a severe storm hit the state and prompted officials to order evacuations, BBC reported. 

The potential for flash floods threaten the island of Oahu and parts of Maui County, Governor Josh Green said on Saturday.

The storm that struck this weekend is the second severe weather event to hit the archipelago in the last week, according to BBC. 

It has been raining in Kathmandu for a while. The rainy weather is coupled with storms.

The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology stated that  the Kathmandu Valley is witnessing rain with storms for over an hour. 

Meteorologist Bibhuti Pokharel said the current weather is likely to intensify further. 

With the storms, the electricity and telephone cables may be snapped, poles and trees uprooted, and corrugated zinc roofs of shelters and houses blown away, she reminded, alerting over the adversity that requires adequate attention and precaution.

The weather service has appealed to everyone to stay in safe places and avoid travel during such adversity.

The guardians and related bodies are also urged to take special care of children as the hostile weather starts at a time the schools are over.

Vehicular movement along the Kanti Highway has been obstructed following a landslide at Gangate area in Bhimphedi Rural Municipality-8 of Makawanpur district today.

Spokesperson of the District Police Office and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Pushkar Bogati said the traffic was closed after the landslide occurred at 5 this evening. 

Bogati shared that efforts are on to clear the landslide debris  and a team of police personnel from the Area Police Office in Thingan has been deployed.

The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DoHM) has called for adopting high alertness as there is a possibility of human and material damage due to high winds accompanied by hailstone since the afternoon today particularly in some districts in the Tarai.

The public is urged to avoid going outside unnecessarily and to take necessary precautions to reduce potential damage that may be caused by the storm. 

Disaster management expert Dr Dharmaraj Upreti advised the general public to take necessary precautions, stating that damage from natural disasters is increasing in Nepal due to ignoring the weather alert.

He urged not to drive vehicles during storms and hail, not to sit near trees and electric poles, and to avoid going outside unnecessarily.

According to the Department, there is a possibility of moderate rain and snowfall with thunder, hail, and storms in many places of Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces, some hilly and mountainous areas of Koshi province including in Gandaki and Lumbini Provinces, and a few places in the Tarai of Bagmati, Madhesh, and Koshi Provinces towards the afternoon today.

Department spokesperson Bibhuti Pokharel said that in the afternoon strong winds would particularly blow in the Tarai region and this would last for two to three hours, urging special precautions to be taken.

According to spokesperson Pokharel, light rain along with thunder and lightning is taking place in some districts of the Sudurpaschim, Karnali and Lumbini Provinces at present also. 

It is necessary to adopt alertness as this system is moving north-eastwards. 

"There is a possibility of strong winds (around 50–60 km/h) in the Tarai region of Madhesh Province as well as in Koshi and Lumbini Provinces. Due to this, there is a risk of trees falling, weak structures and roofs being blown off, and disruption of electricity and communication services, so it is necessary to take necessary measures and precautions to avoid its impact," she said.

According to spokesperson Pokhrel, there is a possibility of heavy rain/snow in one or two places in the hilly and mountainous areas of Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces this afternoon. 

The Department stated that Nepal is currently under the influence of a western low-pressure system and local winds.

Spokesperson Pokharel said the impact of the storm in the Kathmandu Valley would be low. 

She mentioned that although it would have a greater impact in the Tarai region, there is no need to panic, but it is necessary to take precautions.

A Nepali national has been arrested in the Strait of Hormuz, the Foreign Ministry stated. 

Speaking at a press conference held on Friday, Ramkaji Khadka, Head of the West Asia Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Amrit Jha, was among the crew members of a ship that was seized by the Iranian authorities in Hormuz. 

It has been learnt that the Iranian authorities had reportedly taken the entire crew into custody. 

The Strait of Hormuz is a waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. 

Iran shut down imports from the Strait of Hormuz after the US and Israel attacked Iran.

A powerful storm occurred on March 16 damaged the bananas worth more than Rs 40 million in Chitwan district.

According to Chief of National Agriculture Modernization Programme Implementation Unit, Chitwan, Mahesh Regmi, storm-affected banana farms were monitored on Wednesday and Thursday.  

A total of 20 storm-affected banana farms were monitored. 

The storm caused huge damages in banana cultivation at ward no 7 and 23 of Bharatpur metropolitan city, ward no 5, 12 and 14 of Ratnanagar municipality, ward no 13 of Khairahani municipality and ward no 2 to 5 of Kalika municipality.  

Regmi added that up to 88 percent of bananas were damaged in some farms, adding that overall the storm had caused 43.35 per cent damage to bananas. 

Banana is cultivated in 2,000 hectares in Chitwan.

Similarly, Coordinator of Banana Super Zone, Chitwan, Bishnu Hari said farmers engaged in commercial banana cultivation have been hit hard as they did not get compensation on time.

He mentioned that the farmers have not yet received last year's compensation and they are still unknown when they would get the compensation.

Coordinator Bishnu Hari opined that the farmers in the district have submitted applications to insurance companies demanding Rs 40 million as compensation so far.  

It will take time to get accurate data of losses caused by the storm as more applications are being received and some of the farmers have no insurance for banana cultivation, he added.

Seven hundred farmers are involved in commercial banana cultivation in the district.

The Chitwan National Park in Chitwan district recorded a notable surge in tourist arrivals this fiscal year compared to the previous one. 

The number of visitors to the Park and its buffer zone community forest rose by 12,412 in the eight months of the current fiscal year 2025/26 compared to the same period last year.

The Park welcomed 168,695 visitors this year, up from 156,283 during the same period last year.

According to Abhinash Thapa Magar, Information Officer at the Park, among the visitors exploring the Park, the most striking number has come from within the country. 

The Park received 104,096 domestic tourists, a significant rise from 81,246 in the previous year.

Likewise, Information Officer Thapa shared that 9,544 visitors arrived from SAARC countries, while 55,055 tourists came from other countries as of mid-March. 

Last year, the Park had received 14,207 visitors from SAARC countries and 60,830 from other countries. 

While arrivals from SAARC countries and other international destinations showed a slight decline, the overall numbers remained strong, noted Thapa.

Chitwan National Park spanning across 952.63 square km is a sanctuary for 68 species of mammals, 544 species of birds, 56 species of reptiles and amphibians, 126 species of fish. 

Known for its rare and diverse wildlife, the country's first national park continues to captivate visitors. 

Officials said that the Park's major attractions include endangered one-horned rhinoceros, Bengal tiger, bear, elephants, gharial crocodiles along with a wide variety of bird species, said officials.

With a surge in the visitors' number, the Park recorded a strong revenue collection, generating over Rs 175 million in revenue in the last eight months with eco-tourism contributing to the lion's share.

Additional income has come from forest products, penalties and other sources.

Just under 100 ships have passed through the Strait of Hormuz since the start of March, despite periodic attacks on shipping in the area by Iranian forces, BBC reported. 

While some energy and everyday goods are still moving through one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, daily traffic is down about 95% since the Iran war began on 28 February.

Before the war, about 138 ships passed through the strait each day according to the Joint Maritime Information Centre, carrying one fifth of the global oil supply.

The data provided by shipping analysts Kpler shows 99 vessels passing the narrow strait so far this month, an average of just 5-6 vessels a day, according to BBC.