Heavy duststorm, squall in Delhi, Mercury plummets to 33

New Delhi, Jun 15 (UNI) A ferocious duststorm, accompanied by squalls, today hit the capital uprooting trees at several areas and bringing down the mercury to 33 degrees Celsius, nearly seven degrees below normal.

The duststorm and squall, blowing at a speed of 73 km per hour, occured at 1637 hours, bringing down the mercury by four degrees, from 37.1 degree to 33 degrees C.

The ferocity of the squall, which led to the atmosphere being enveloped by a cloud of dust, also led to trees being uprooted in several areas, resulting in several traffic snags.

In some areas, window panes of houses and motor vehicles were also reported to be damaged.

A cloud of dust and haze has been enveloping the Delhi skyline for the last few days, bringing about a fall in maximum temperature and resulting in coolness in the city which had been experiencing a heat wave all through the last week.

The haze led to the mercury dropping to 37.3 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, nearly three degrees below normal.

The weatherman has also forecast a partly cloudy sky and further duststorms and thunderstorms accompanied by squalls during the next 24 hours.

Some showers have also been forecast for tonight and tomorrow.

The coolness in weather is likely to prevail for the next few days with the weatherman predicting a maximum temperature of around 37 Degrees C in the next few days.

UNI AR PA HT1737