Rain plays truant in North India

Two persons perished in lightning in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur district as moderate to heavy rain lashed the state, resulting in rise in the water-level of major rivers.Bastir was wettest in the state, recording 33.6 mm rainfall while Gorakhpur received 14.8 mm of overnight rain, Ayodhya 14 mm and Ballia 10 mm.

After a couple of days of sweltering heat, some parts of Rajasthan experienced showers with capital Jaipur drenched by 56 mm of rain and Banasthali in Tonk receiving 30 mm of rainfall. Rest of the desert state received scattered rain.

Meanwhile, flood situation remained grim in Sirsa and Fatehabad districts in Haryana and Punjab’s Mansa with 51 flood-related deaths being reported from the states in the past 12 days.

However, mercury rose by up to two degrees in most places as high humidity compounded the woes of the people. Hisar was the hottest in the region at 41.4 degrees C, five notches above normal, while the maximum in Chandigarh stood at 36.6 degrees, three notches above normal.

While rain eluded most parts of the region, the humidity oscillated between 80 and  95 per cent. People in the national capital endured another hot and humid day on Sunday with monsoon rain eluding the city for the sixth straight day. On Saturday, the city recorded a day and night temperature of 37.3 deg C and 29.2 deg C.In Himachal Pradesh, mercury showed a rising trend as monsoon remained subdued.