Mercury rises across North India; Depression crosses Arkan

New Delhi, May 5 (UNI) Hisar in Haryana recorded a searing 42.4 degrees Celsius as summer heat returned to many parts of north-west India today after a day's respite while isolated rains occurred over coastal parts as well as the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh under the influence of a depression which moved northwards.

Hisar turned out to be the hottest place in Haryana. At Karnal and Ambala, the temperature settled at 37.6 degrees Celsius .

In Punjab, Patiala with 39.6 degrees Celsius turned out to be the hottest place, followed by Ludhiana and Amritsar showing 39.2 degrees, two degrees above normal and Chandigarh recording a maximum temperature of 38.0 degrees one degree above normal.

Parts of Himachal Pradesh also reported a rise in the temperature with capital town of Shimla recording a high of 24.5 degrees, three degrees above normal, while Bhuntar in Kullu district reported 33.6 degrees which was five degrees above normal. Sundernagar in Mandi district recorded 36.2 degrees.

The weather office has predicted light to moderate rains or thundershowers at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh and a duststorm or thunderstorm with light rain at isolated places in Punjab and Haryana during the next 24 hours.

After a cool Friday which saw easterly winds and an overcast sky bring coolness to the weather in the capital, the summer heat returned to scorch Delhiites with the barometer today rising to 39.1 degrees Celsius.

''Current meteorological analysis suggests that gradual rise in day temperatures is likely over plains of Northwest India and East Uttar Pradesh during the next 2-3 days,''the Met office said.

Kolkatans today parched for few drops of rain as the temperatures continued to rise throughout Bengal.

A constant temperature of 48 deg Celsius was recorded in the west Madhya Pradesh town of Barwani.

Isolated rains occurred over Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in the last 24 hours as the depression over East Central Bay of Bengal and adjoining Andaman islands moved northwestwards and crossed Arkan coast, early today.

The Andaman and Nicobar Administration today cautioned fishermen of this archipelago of possible heavy rains and high tide conditions, officials said today.

''Southwesterly wind with speed exceeding 45 km per hour and generally rough seas are likely to occur along and off the Andaman and Nicobar coast in the next 24 hours,'' the notice said.

According to the local unit of the Indian Meteorological Department, heavy rains are likely to occur in isolated areas over these remote islands during this period.

The weatherman said rain or thundershowers have occurred at most places in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and at a few places in east Uttar Pradesh, west Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and at isolated places in Gangetic West Bengal, Assam and Meghalaya, Uttaranchal, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, west Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, east Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, coastal Andhra Pradesh, coastal and north interior Karnataka.

Day temperatures were appreciably to markedly above normal in some parts of Assam and Meghalaya, Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir, west Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha and in remaining parts of east Rajasthan and were above normal in some parts of Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, west Rajasthan, Saurashtra and Kutch, Konkan and Goa, madhya Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

They were appreciably to markedly below normal in some parts of Orissa, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana and were below normal in parts of Chattisgarh, Uttaranchal, Punjab, interior Karnataka and in remaining parts of Haryana. They were normal over the rest of the country.

Heat wave conditions prevailed at isolated places in east Rajasthan, Vidarbha and north Madhya Maharashtra.

UNI