New Delhi, May 16: Large swathes of north India witnessed a marginal drop in maximum temperatures on Monday and the weather department said thunderstorms and rain in parts of the region over the next few days are likely to bring further respite from the scorching heat.
The mercury in Delhi, which recorded its hottest day of the year so far at 45.6 degrees Celsius on Sunday, came down to 42.4 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The IMD said a thunderstorm or a dust storm may further bring the mercury down by a few notches on Tuesday.
The temperature will start rising again on Wednesday and may hit the 45-degree mark on Friday, it said.
Maximum temperatures in Haryana and Punjab too came down by a few notches, even as they remained well above normal.
In Haryana’s Gurugram, the mercury came down to 44.7 degrees Celsius from 48.1 degrees Celsius on Sunday, according to the meteorological department.
In Punjab, Amritsar recorded a high of 42.6 degrees Celsius, down four notches from Sunday.
Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, recorded a high of 41 degrees Celsius.
The Meteorological Department in Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla said thunderstorms and rain along with light hailstorms are expected in parts of the state from Monday to Wednesday.
Rain and snowfall are likely in higher altitude areas of the state, it said.
Due to fresh western disturbance in mid-troposphere levels with its axis at 5.8 km above the mean sea level, a light to moderate thunderstorm or rainfall is expected, it said.
The mercury dropped by two to five degrees in most parts of Rajasthan, according to the weather department.
Dholpur was the hottest place in the state with a maximum temperature of 46.1 degrees Celsius.
The MeT office has predicted dust storms in Jhunjhunu, Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Sri Ganganagar, Hanumangarh and Churu districts during the next 24 hours.
The dry spell in western Odisha ended with moderate to heavy overnight rains.
Madhya Pradesh is also likely to receive respite from heatwave conditions, with the MeT department forecasting a drop in mercury over the next few days. (PTI)
