Rains and thunderstorms brought mercury levels close to normal in many parts of the country even as 14 places in Odisha and 5 in Rajasthan recorded maximum temperatures of above 40 degrees.
India Meteorological Department said thunderstorms were observed at isolated places over Uttarakhand, Bihar, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam and Meghalaya and no heat wave was experienced over the country.
In New Delhi, it was a cloudy day and the maximum temperature was recorded at 38.1 degrees Celsius, a notch above the season’s average. The minimum settled at 25 degrees, normal for this time of the year, the MeT department here said.
In Himachal Pradesh, scattered rain occurred at isolated places. Kasauli in Solan and Jogindernagar in Mandi district recorded 21 mm of rain while Pandoh and Bijahi received 17 and 14 mm respectively.
Rain in many parts of Tamil Nadu brought respite from the sizzling heat, with Padalur in Perambalur recording the highest downpour of 13 cm. Vedasanthur (Dindigul) and Aravakurichi (Karur) received 11 cm each, according to the rainfall statistics for the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Saturday.
In Odisha, after a brief respite from heat wave condition, western region witnessed a rise in the mercury level with Sundergarh recording the highest of 42.5 degrees Celsius.
Fourteen places across the state recorded temperature above 40 degrees. People in the interior parts suffered as the day temperatures recorded at 41.7 degrees in Angul, 41.6 at Talcher, 41 degrees each at Phulbani and Bolangir. Bhubaneswar recorded 40.9 degrees Celsius.
While sunstroke deaths confirmed so far in the state remained at 16, the number of heat-related deaths increased by 2 to 168, special relief commissioner’s (SRC) office said.
In Rajasthan, the mercury also soared with Phalodi town in Jodhpur being the hottest place with a maximum of 43.5 degrees Celsius followed by Barmer at 43.Bikaner, Jodhpur, Sri Ganganagar, Churu, Ajmer and Jaipur recorded day temperatures at 42.5, 42, 41.9, 40.4, 39.4 and 38.8 degrees, respectively.
In Punjab and Haryana, the maximum temperatures hovered close to normal. Hisar in Haryana was the hottest place in both the states as it recorded maximum at 40.3 degrees, the MeT department said. Chandigarh recorded a maximum of 38.6 degrees, up by a notch.
