Monsoon gets active in most parts of the country

New Delhi, June 16 (UNI) Dispelling the heat wave, the southwest monsoon has finally made its presence felt in the country with incessant rains lashing most parts of the country, including the Northern states, which have been bearing the brunt of the sweltering heat.

According to the Meteorological department, rain or thundershowers have occurred at most places in Asom and Meghalaya, Punjab, Vidarbha, Rayalseema, Kerala and at many places in Asom and Meghalaya, Gangetic West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and at a few places in Jharkhand, east Rajasthan, west Madhya Pradesh, Marathwada and Andaman and Nicobar islands.

Kerala and Lakshadweep continued to experience heavy rains in the last 24 hours, the local Meteorological office said here.

The highest rainfall of 9 cm was recorded at Kavarathi.

The chief amounts of rainfall recorded in cm were Perumbavoor 8, Agathi 7, Thodupuzha 6, Kasargode, Kochi Airport, Kannur, Alwaye and CIL Kochi 5 each, the weather office said.

After experiencing cool weather for the last two days, Kolkata has started experiencing high humidity.

Met officials said the maximum temperature was pegged at 33.2 degrees Celsius with one degree deviation, while the minimum was 25.2 degrees minus two degrees.

After recording a drastic fall yesterday, the mercury soared in many areas in the north-west region today but continued to stay below normal following pre-monsoon rains.

Despite rains in Punjab, the maximum rose at Amritsar, Ludhiana and Patiala but hovered five degrees to eight degrees below normal at these places.

The temperatures also rose in Haryana where several areas experienced showers.

Hisar, which usually remains the hottest place in the state, registered the maximum at 34.0 degrees. The town measured 8.2 mm rain overnight.

The temperatures also stayed below normal in Himachal Pradesh in the wake of moderate rainfall.

For the second consecutive day, the rain gods showered their bounty on Delhiites bringing the mercury down further, maintaining the cool climes in the Capital.

While the minimum dropped to 23.5 degrees in the capital, six degrees below normal, the maximum too fell sharply to 34 degrees, six degrees below normal.

In Rajasthan, the rains have made the temperatures fall by two-three degrees in almost all parts of the desert state.

The state capital mapped a high of 38.5 degrees but the rains made the weather pleasant in the evening.

A smart shower in the morning followed by intermittent drizzle cooled the overall temperature further in the capital city of Bihar and its surrounding areas.

Though the local Met office recorded the day's maximum temperature at 34 degrees, because of an overcast sky there was no sultry feeling.

With the weatherman predicting more drizzle and occasional thunder showers in South-Central Bihar, including Patna during the night which might again bring down the temperature and prevent the return of heat wave further.

Uttar Pradesh continues to heave a sigh of relief with the sporadic rainfall continuing to lash most parts of the state for the fourth consecutive day.

In the last 24 hours, Moradabad, Allahabad, Jhansi, Ballia, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Varanasi and Saharanpur divisions were lashed with heavy downpour, the weatherman said.

Squall and heavy rainfall have been forecast at few places in the next 24 hours.

The showers that brought welcome respite for Mumbai the past two days are pre-monsoon showers, according to the Meteorological Dept and the actual monsoon showers are expected in two or three days.

According to the weatherman, rain or thundershowers are likely to occur at many places in Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh.

It is also likely at in Orissa, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and interior Karnataka and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

UNI