Lighting claims one life in Punjab, death toll in AP rises to 15

New Delhi, May 4 (UNI) Lightning claimed one life in Punjab bringing the death toll to six in the northern plains due to heatwaves and lighting while the rain-related toll rose to 15 in Andhra Pradesh with two more deaths.

A woman, identified as Sukhwinder Kaur, was killed due to lightning in Punjab. Another woman sustained burn injuries and was admitted to a hospital at Beas. The mercury dipped in the plains following rainfall, providing respite to people from scorching heat in the region.

The temperatures across Punjab and Haryana marginally plummeted in the wake of showers and dusty winds but rose in Himachal Pradesh.

Amritsar recorded a fall in the temperature to 37.1 degrees Celsius. The town reported trace rainfall. Ludhiana recorded the maximum temperature of 36.2 degrees while temperatures in Patiala rose to 37.1 degrees. Despite rainfall, Chandigarh recorded 36.6 degrees.

In Haryana, Hisar recorded a fall in the mercury to 38.3 degrees, one degree below normal. The temperatures dipped at Karnal and Ambala, too, following rains to 33.6 degrees, four degrees below normal, and Ambala 35.8 degrees, two degrees below normal respectively.

The mercury in Himachal Pradesh also showed an upward movement with Sundernagar in Mandi district registering 34.7 degrees while Bhuntar in Kullu district showed 31.0 degrees, two degrees above normal. The mercury hovered three degrees above normal at Shimla recording 24.7 degrees.

In Mysore, a 45-year-old Yashodamma died in a local hospital after a tree under which she had taken shelter fell on her, as rains accompanied by strong winds hit the city.

Another person Revanna (37) was killed in a lightning strike at Kallur village on the outskirts of the city when he went to collect wood.

The national capital experienced pleasant weather as the clouds and thundery winds plummetted the maximum temperature to 36.5 degrees, two degrees below normal.

The relief from heat could persist for another day or two with the weatherman forecasting more thundery development over Delhi and other plains of Northwest India during the next 24 hours.

''Current meteorological analysis suggests isolated to scattered rain or thundershowers activity over plains of Northwest India and East Uttar Pradesh during the next 48 hours,'' they said.

Consequently, day temperatures are likely to remain near normal over plains of Northwest India during the same period,''the weather office said.

Though north India received rainfall Rajasthan reeled under heat wave conditions with the mercury touching above 42 degrees in most parts.

Jaipur recorded 43.7 degrees while Ajmer, Dabok sizzled at 42 degrees. Jodhpur was a degree higher at 42.6 and Bikaner at 43. 5 degrees.

Rain or thundershowers are also likely to occur at a few places in Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, coastal Karnataka, Kerala and Laksahdweep, and at isolated places in Arunachal Pradesh, Asom, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Gangetic West Bengal, Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar.

UNI