Reduction in heat wave intensity in next three days: Weather office

A reduction in the intensity of heatwave conditions is likely in the country over the next three days, the weather office said on Sunday, 3 June.

Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh was the hottest in the country with a maximum temperature of 46.2 degrees Celsius.

Sirsa in Haryana and Ganganagar in Rajasthan sizzled at 45.4 degrees Celsius followed by Jhansi and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh which recorded 45.2 degrees Celsius each, and Prithvipur in Madhya Pradesh and Bhiwani in Haryana at 45.1 degrees.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said heat wave conditions over northwest, central and east India were likely to continue with reduced intensity during the next three days.

The maximum temperature in the national capital settled at 42.8 degrees Celsius, two notches above the normal for the season.

Aya Nagar in south Delhi recorded 43.4 degrees Celsius, Ridge 43.7 degrees Celsius, and Palam 43.5 degrees Celsius.

Light rain and thundershowers were experienced in parts of Rajasthan.

The weather department has predicted more light to moderate rain in parts of Bikaner, Jaipur, Bharatpur, Ajmer and Jodhpur divisions.

Jaipur MeT department director Radheshyam Sharma said the maximum temperature will settle below 45 degrees Celsius in the coming days and relief from the heat wave is expected.

"Today, maximum temperatures have fallen by 3-4 degrees Celsius over some parts of East Madhya Pradesh; by 2-3 degrees Celsius in some parts of interior Odisha, Vidarbha, Punjab and by 1-2 degrees Celsius over some parts of Haryana, West Uttar Pradesh, West Madhya Pradesh & adjoining East Rajasthan," it said.

It said maximum temperatures are in the range 43-45 degrees Celsius over some parts of north Rajasthan, south Haryana, Delhi, north Madhya Pradesh and southeast Madhya Pradesh; in the range 41-43 degrees Celsius over many parts of Punjab, remaining parts of Haryana, Delhi south Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh; over some parts of west Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha, Telangana and south Interior Odisha.

The weather office said hot and humid weather is very likely to prevail over isolated pockets of Bihar during 2-4 June, Konkan & Goa on 2-3 June; Odisha on 5-6 June.

Among other places in Haryana, Bhiwani recorded a high of 45.1 degrees Celsius while Rohtak recorded a high of 44.2 degrees.

Ambala recorded a maximum of 42.3 degrees Celsius, Hisar registered a high of 42.7 degrees Celsius while Gurugram and Faridabad registered 42.5 degrees Celsius and 43.9 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Chandigarh recorded a high of 42.4 degrees Celsius.

In Punjab, Bathinda reeled at a maximum of 45.1 degrees Celsius.

Amritsar recorded a high of 43.5 degrees Celsius, Ludhiana 42.2 degrees Celsius while Patiala's maximum settled at 42.6 degrees Celsius.

Gurdaspur recorded a high of 43.4 degrees Celsius while Faridkot's maximum settled at 42.5 degrees Celsius.

The heat wave conditions persisted in Jammu which recorded the maximum temperature at 41.6 degrees Celsius, 2.2 notches above the season's average, the meteorological department said.

However, the day temperature in Jammu was 1.3 degrees Celsius less than that of the previous day, a spokesperson of the Met department said, adding that the city may witness relief from the prevailing conditions after 4 June.

He said hot and dry weather over the plains of Jammu division is likely to continue till 4 June. After that during the next three days, Jammu may see light to moderate rain or thunder in many places with gusty winds in a few places.

The weather is likely to remain partly cloudy on 8 and 9 June, the spokesperson said.

He said Katra, the base camp for pilgrims visiting Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta hills in Reasi district, recorded a high of 38.8 degrees Celsius and a low of 24.8 degrees Celsius.

Srinagar, on the other hand, recorded a maximum of 30.3 degrees Celsius against 27.5 degrees Celsius the previous day, the spokesperson said, adding the day temperature in the city was four degrees above normal.