Rain keeps mercury down in UP, Bihar; Temperatures soar elsewhere

New Delhi, June 8 (UNI) Widespread rains kept the temperatures down in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar while the mercury continued to rise in other parts of the country with the capital recording a maximum of 41.4 degree celsius today.

Delhiites returned to extreme sultry conditions, after three days of pleasant weather over the weekend, which saw cool South Easterly winds and a heavily overcast sky plummet the mercury to eight to ten degrees below normal.

Meanwhile, scorching heat prevailed in many areas of north-west India as the mercury further rose in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh today. The maximum temprature hovered above normal in almost the entire region.

Hissar and Ludhiana were the hottest places in Haryana and Punjab respectively with the mercury touching 42.0 degrees celsius at these places.

Mercury also rose in Ambala, which recorded 41.2 degrees and Amritsar and Patiala showed 41.6 degrees, one degree above normal.

Temperatures also rose in Himachal Pradesh with Sundernagar in Mandi district recording 35.8 degrees. The capital town of Shimla recorded a maximum of 27.3 degrees, three degrees above normal.

Chandigarh and its adjoining areas also reeled under intense heat with the mercury rising to 40.6 from 39.8 degrees recorded yesterday.

The Met office prediction of light to moderate rain or thundershowers at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh will come as a relief for the locals. But no such respite for Punjab and Haryana as the weather office has forecast a mainly sunny sky for the next 24 hours in these states.

However, widespread rainfall was reported in Uttar Pradesh in the last 24 hours which kept the mercury levels down at almost all the places in there. The met office said rainfall/thundershowers are likely in Lucknow, Faizabad, Varanasi, Allahabad, Kanpur and Gorakhpur divisions in the next 24 hours.

Turtipur in Basti district recorded the maximum rainfall of nine cm.

Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon has been vigorous in Bihar heavy rains are likely to occur at most places in Jharkhand as well.

Rain or thundershowers are also likely to occur at many places in West Bengal, Sikkim, South Konkan and Goa, coastal Karnataka, Kerala and Andaman and Nicobar islands and at a few places in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Orissa.

But mainly dry weather will prevail in Rajasthan and West Madhya Pradesh.

UNI TEAM PM VV1944