ALOR STAR: Heavy downpour and strong winds wreaked havoc in Pendang, blocking the traffic along the southbound of North-South Expressway (Plus) towards Gurun for almost 30 minutes.
The evening storm also lashed its fury in Kampung Alor Ali, ripping off zinc roofs of several houses.
Motorists travelling from Alor Star towards south were stranded for over an hour after the lanes at Km65.9 were blocked by several uprooted trees in the 5pm incident.
The state Fire and Rescue Department public relations officer Mohamad Mustakim Mukhtar said they received a distress call about 5.17pm.
He said firemen from the Guar Chempedak fire station rushed to the scene to clear the road with the help of Plus employees, Malaysian Civil Defence Force personnel and volunteer fire brigades.
The right lane of the southbound traffic was reopened after around 5.30pm, and the uprooted trees were removed at 7.41pm.
Meanwhile, in Kampung Alor Ali, several houses were badly damaged when the village was struck by the thunderstorm which blew away some roofs.
No casualties reported as of 8pm.