JOIN USLight rain and thunderstorms could barely bring respite from the blistering heat-wave conditions in the northern region as the mercury refused to drop below the 40 degree Celsius mark in most places on Saturday.
Delhiites braved a hot day on Saturday as mercury again soared to 40.6 degree Celsius, one degree above normal while the minimum temperature was recorded at 25.5 degree Celsius, a notch below normal.
On Saturday, after a brief rain spell temperature had dropped from 43 degree Celsius in the day to 39.8 degree Celsius by the evening and the minimum settled at 25.2 degree Celsius. The Meteorological department has predicted that rain would occur at isolated places in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan.
Light to moderate rain and thundershowers occurred at isolated places over west Uttar Pradesh even as temperature in the state capital Lucknow settled at 41.3 degree Celsius. Agra recorded 42.7 degree Celsius, while in Varanasi mercury settled at 41.6 degree Celsius. The highest temperatures were recorded in Jhansi at 43.4 degree Celsius and in Allahabad at 43.2 degree Celsius.
In Rajasthan, light to moderate rain lashed several parts of the state, including Jaipur, on Saturday evening with mercury dipping by one to seven degrees in Jaipur and Bikaner divisions.
Jaipur recorded maximum of 37.4 degrees, seven degrees down as compared to Friday. The city witnessed cloudy sky since morning with heavy dust storm. According to Meteorological department officials the change in weather is due to reoccurrence of western disturbances.
“The change in weather is due to reoccurrence of western disturbance. Light to moderate rains may occur in several parts of the state in next 24 hours,” said the officials. Hailstorm also occurred at isolated places in Bikaner division, they added.