New Delhi, June 6 (IANS): While vast plains of north India, especially Rajasthan, continued to battle heat wave conditions for the past three days, the weatherman called Tuesday the last day of suffering and predicted respite.
The mercury is likely to fall with chances of rain and thundershowers across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) till June 8 or 9, the weather office said.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), while temperature on Tuesday marginally dropped in the national capital and regions around it by one to two degrees Celsius, heat wave finally abated in most parts of Rajasthan.
The maximum temperature recorded on the day in Jaipur, Bikaner and Jaisalmer, which were reeling under intense heat wave for the past couple of days, hovered around 41.2 to 41.7 degrees Celsius, against 44 to 47 degrees Celsius since Sunday.
Temperatures across Himachal Pradesh also fell slightly on Tuesday, with state capital Shimla recording a high of 28.3 degrees against Monday’s 29.6 degrees Celsius.
The national capital, which suffered searing heat on Sunday and Monday, recorded a rise in the minimum temperature on Tuesday at 34.2 degrees, seven notches above the season’s average. However, the IMD predicted a drop in the maximum temperature.
“The maximum temperature is likely to hover around 43 degrees. On Monday, the average maximum temperature was recorded at 44.6 degrees, five notches above the season’s average, while some parts of the city like Palam faced heat at 45.8 degrees, six notches above the season’s average,” said an official from the IMD.
According to weather analysts, the drop in temperature is attributed to change in winds entering Rajasthan and subsequently reaching the national capital.
“Earlier, the winds were moving from the western region, which is central Pakistan. Now the direction has changed and humid and cooler winds from the Arabian sea have entered Rajasthan and Gujarat, due to which temperature has dropped,” Mahesh Palawat, Director of private weather forecaster Skymet, told IANS.
“These winds are reaching Delhi and will lead to drop in the maximum temperature here,” he added.
According to Skymet, this is likely to be the last phase of heat wave in northern India, including the national capital, and after this the maximum temperature will hover around 40 degrees.
The intense heat wave conditions in parts of Uttar Pradesh on Monday claimed 10 lives. Besides, the number of patients with heat stroke conditions, diarrhoea, vomiting and high fever has increased in hospitals across the state.
Bundelkhand is the worst hit, with mercury logging an average of 47 degrees Celsius in most districts. Banda and Mahoba continue to simmer under an unprecedented heat wave.
However, on Tuesday several eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh received good rainfall, bringing respite to the people.
According to the IMD, India will receive 98 per cent rainfall during this monsoon between June and September and 96 per cent rainfall is predicted over the northwest India which includes Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan.
The IMD added that July would see 96 per cent rainfall, while 99 per cent rainfall is predicted for the month of August.
