North India experienced some relief from the sweltering heatwave after rainfall in several places. A dust storm coupled with light rain brought mercury down in the national capital last evening.
The maximum temperature at Safdarjung observatory was 41.6 degrees Celsius, two notches above the season's average. However, the mercury fell sharply to 29.8 degrees Celsius at 7.30 pm after the thunderstorm hit the city. The weatherman has forecast partly cloudy sky and the possibility of very light rain for today.
Light rainfall and the dust storm also brought respite to parts of Rajasthan as the mercury came down a few notches. Jaipur received 3.2 mm rainfall and the mercury settled at 42.8 degrees Celsius. Churu, however, remained the hottest place in the state with a maximum temperature of 47 degrees Celsius, followed by 46.3 degrees each in Sri Ganganagar and Bikaner.
In Jammu and Kashmir, heavy rains led to flash floods in parts of Baramulla district, while high-speed winds and a hailstorm created havoc in Jammu region and also Kashmir valley in the early hours on Wednesday. There was a slight relief in Himachal Pradesh from the heatwave following a rainfall at several places, the Meteorological department said.
Dehradun also received light rain early yesterday, but there wasn't much respite from the heat. The maximum recorded in the city was 39 degree Celsius with high humidity.
In Haryana and Punjab, maximum temperatures hovered above normal limits at most places, with the mercury settling at 42 degrees Celsius in Chandigarh, up by three notches. Amritsar, Patiala and Ambala also received some rain. In Uttar Pradesh, the heatwave is very likely to prevail for the next two days in some areas, the Meteorological Department said.
In Odisha, the mercury soared above 45 degrees Celsius in six places, even as the MeT Centre forecast more heatwave over the next three days. (AIR NEWS)