New Delhi :
Rains and thunderstorms brought mercury levels close to normal in many parts of the country even as 14 places in Odisha and five in Rajasthan recorded a maximum temperatures of above 40 degrees Celsius. 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 national capital New Delhi it was a cloudy day in patches and the maximum temperature was recorded at 38.1 degrees Celsius, a notch above the season’s average.
The minimum settled at 25 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the year, the MeT department here said.
In Himachal Pradesh, scattered rains occurred at isolated places. Tourist resort of Kasauli in Solan and Jogindernagar in Mandi district recorded 21 mm of rains 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 today.
In Odisha, after a brief respite from heatwave condition, western region witnessed a rise in the mercury level with Sundergarh recording the highest of 42.5 degree Celsius.
Fourteen places across the state recorded temperature above 40 degree Celsius. People in the interior parts suffered as the day temperatures recorded at 41.7 degrees C in Angul, 41.6 degrees C at Talcher, 41 degrees C each at Phulbani and Bolangir. Bhubaneswar recorded 40.9 degree Celsius.
While sunstroke deaths confirmed so far in the state remained at 16, the number of alleged heat-related deaths increased by two to 168, special relief commission’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, Sriganganagar, Churu, Ajmer and Jaipur recorded day temperatures at 42.5, 42, 41.9, 40.4, 39.4 and 38.8 degree Celsius 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 deg C, the MeT department said. Chandigarh recorded a maximum of 38.6 degrees Celsius, up by a notch.
A few districts in Jharkhand also experienced rainfall. Temperatures fell to 34 degrees Celsius in Hazaribagh, 37.2 in Dhanbad, 38 degrees Celsius in Bokaro, and 38.4 in Ranchi. Dumka, Lathehar and Jamtara recorded 36 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, places like Garhwa and Chaibasa faced hot weather conditions at 41 and 41.5 degrees Celsius respectively.
