Above-normal temperatures in north, west India; rain brings respite in Delhi-NCR

Parts of northern and western India recorded above-normal temperatures on Wednesday but rain and thunderstorm due to a cyclonic circulation over Rajasthan brought some respite from the heat in Delhi and NCR later in the day.

Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon further advanced into west central and north Bay of Bengal.

Light rains and thunderstorm were witnessed in parts of Delhi with winds gusting up to 50 kilometres per hour, said Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of the regional forecasting centre of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The mercury is expected to go down in the next few days as moisture-laden easterly winds due to the low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal will bring showers in Delhi-NCR on June 12 and June 13, he said.

No heatwave is expected in the capital till June 15, the official said.

The rain occurred under the influence of a cyclonic circulation over north Rajasthan, and a trough running from north Pakistan to a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal, the IMD said.

The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative figures for the city, recorded a maximum temperature of 41.5 degrees Celsius, two notches above the normal, before the rains.

The weather stations at Palam and Ayanagar recorded their maximum temperatures at 43.6 degrees Celsius and 42.2 degrees Celsius respectively.

The weatherman has predicted light rains and thundershowers with winds gusting up to 40 kilometres per hour for Thursday evening. The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to settle at 40 degrees Celsius and 26 degrees Celsius, respectively.

In Delhi's neighbouring Noida and Greater Noida, strong winds uprooted trees and brought down billboards, blocking key roads.

Traffic snarls were reported on the Delhi-Noida-Direct (DND) Highway as well as on the Kalindi Kunj Road and along routes to Greater Noida.

"Traffic has been disrupted due to felling of trees on the Kalindi Kunj road going from Delhi to Noida, Please be patient. Use an alternate route," the Gautam Buddh Nagar traffic police tweeted.

A hoarding fell on the road in Sector 20 police station area due to the heavy storm which disrupted traffic movement, a police official said.

No loss of life was reported immediately, the police said.

Officials said they were working to remove the fallen trees and hoardings from the roads.

Isolated places in Haryana and Punjab recorded trace rainfall, according to the meteorological (MeT) department.

Most parts of Haryana recorded near-normal temperatures, it said.

Hisar was the hottest place in the state with a maximum temperature of 43.4 degrees Celsius. The mercury settled at 41.6 degrees Celsius in Bhiwani and 38.8 degrees in Ambala.

In Punjab, Ludhiana and Amritsar recorded maximum temperatures of 37.4 degrees Celsius and 33.8 degrees Celsius respectively – both below normal, the MeT department said.

Large parts of Rajasthan saw a slight rise in temperatures, while some places received light rainfall, the weather department said.

Kota recorded a rainfall of 2 mm, Dabok 1.2 mm and Jaipur received a drizzle, it said.

Bikaner was the hottest place in the state with a maximum temperature of 44.3 degrees Celsius, followed by 44 degrees Celsius in Churu.

Jaisalmer recorded a high of 43.7 degrees Celsius, Sriganganagar 43.4 degrees Celsius, Kota 42.5 degrees Celsius, Barmer 42.3 degrees Celsius, Jaipur 41.7 degrees Celsius, Jodhpur 41.4 degrees Celsius, Ajmer 40.7 degrees Celsius and Dabok 37.8 degrees Celsius.

Thunderstorm and lightning accompanied with gusty winds with speeds up to 30-40 kmph are likely to occur at isolated places in Rajasthan over the next 24 hours, the weather department said.

The IMD in its Special Daily Weather Report said conditions are becoming favourable for further advancement of southwest monsoon into more parts of the country.

It said the southwest monsoon has further advanced into the remaining parts of Tamil Nadu, some parts of west central and north Bay of Bengal.

"Conditions are becoming favourable for further advancement of Southwest Monsoon in some more parts of Central Arabian Sea, Goa; some parts of Maharashtra, some more parts of Karnataka and Rayalaseema; some parts of Telangana and Coastal Andhra Pradesh; some more parts of north Bay of Bengal and some more parts of Northeastern states during next 48 hours," it said.

During the subsequent 48 hours, the IMD said, the conditions are likely to become favourable for further advancement of southwest monsoon into some more parts of Maharashtra, remaining parts of Karnataka, Telangana, Rayalaseema, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Bay of Bengal and northeastern states.