Heat wave sweeps North; light rain in Delhi

Light evening showers brought relief to Delhiites after the day temperature rose to the season’s highest at 43.6 degree Celsius on Friday, even as people in other parts of north India reeled under blistering heat and dry weather conditions.

The temperatures came down significantly following light showers here in the evening.The temperature recorded after 5:30 pm was 39.8 degrees Celsius, nearly four notches below the day’s maximum.

The met department has predicted partly cloudy skies, with dust storms and thunderstorms in some areas till Saturday morning. In the absence of rain in the past few days, the weather continued to remain dry in Uttar Pradesh. The temperature was above normal in Faizabad, Gorakhpur, Allahabad and Lucknow divisions.

The state’s highest temperature was 44.0 degrees Celsius at Sultanpur. Rain/thundershowers may occur at isolated places in the state, according to a forecast.In Rajasthan, blistering heatwave continued to sweep the state for the second day on Friday, with Churu recording the highest temperature of 44.6 degrees Celsius.

Capital Jaipur also experienced the hottest day of the season with mercury soaring to 44 degrees Celsius. Heatwave conditions would further aggravate in the state in the next 24 hours, according to a local Met forecast. 

In Punjab and Haryana, too, people reeled under sweltering heat. Bhiwani in Haryana was the hottest place in the region with a maximum of 44.6 degrees Celsius. In Punjab, Amritsar saw the mercury settling at 32.8 degrees Celsius, six degrees below normal, as the city recorded a rainfall of 0.7 mm. The Union Territory of Chandigarh recorded a maximum of 38 degrees Celsius.

In the eastern parts of the country, people experienced a hot and humid day. Jharkhand is in the grip of intense heatwave with the state’s maximum temperature touching 45 degrees Celsius.