Thaindian News

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) A heavy spell of overnight summer rains accompanied by thunder and lightning brought some relief to the national capital and neighbouring states in northern India Sunday after days of sizzling heat.

However, tragedy struck in Punjab where lightning claimed five lives Saturday evening.

According to Met offices in different state, more summer rains were on the way.

Three people died in Punjab’s Muktsar district and two in Bathinda district when lightning struck Saturday evening, officials said in Chandigarh.

The rain and thunderstorm left behind a trail of destruction in Agra with power disrupted, trees uprooted and rooftops and hoardings blown off.

After the sweltering heat of the previous days, the temperature fell by several notches in Delhi and cities in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

It was also less hot in Rajasthan compared to the previous days, weather officials said.

In Delhi, Sunday was bright and pleasant after heavy showers the previous night. The minimum temperature was five notches below average at 20.7 degrees Sunday and the maximum was 33.9 degrees.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast squall or light rain in the night, in addition to partly cloudy sky with light showers Monday.

The national capital received 19.3 mm of rainfall between 12 a.m. Saturday and 8.30 a.m. Sunday, said the IMD official.

The humidity was recorded at 76 percent.

Being Sunday, people enjoyed the pleasant weather. There were more shoppers at Conaught Place and Janpath than usual.

The temperature fell by four to eight degrees Celsius Sunday in Punjab and Haryana after days of 40-plus highs.

“These are pre-monsoon showers and we are expecting similar conditions to prevail for the next couple of days,” a Met official said in Chandigarh.

Hisar in Haryana received 35 mm of rain during the 24 hours to Sunday evening.

Chandigarh recorded a maximum temperature of 33.6 degrees Saturday, which was four notches below average. The city received 1.6 mm of rainfall.

In Punjab, Ludhiana (15.7 mm rainfall) Saturday registered a maximum of 34 degrees Celsius, seven degrees below average, whereas Patiala (0.7 mm rainfall) had 33.4 degrees, six degrees below average.

In Agra, where rain and strong winds wreaked havoc Saturday night, the private discom Torrent had a tough time responding to complaints of disruption in power supplies from all parts of the city Saturday.

Two employees of the Torrent company were seriously injured when the transformer they were repairing fell down. They were admitted to a private nursing home in a critical condition.

The maximum temperature was 36.8 degrees and the minimum was 27.1 degrees Saturday.

At least 42 people were reportedly killed and 50 others were injured in thunderstorms and lightning that struck various parts of Uttar Pradesh Saturday.

Dust storms and thunder showers cooled many parts of Rajasthan.

The maximum temperature in Jaipur Sunday was 40 degree Celsius, almost two degrees lower than Saturday’s, the weather office said.

Bikaner was also cool at 39 degrees, however Jaisalmer continued to remain hot with temperature hitting 43-45 degrees Celsius.

Towns in Himachal Pradesh also received heavy rain Saturday, with Mandi recording the highest rainfall of 64.2 mm in the state.

Hailstorms with strong gusty winds with speeds reaching 40 to 50 km per hour have been forecast in some places in Solan, Bilaspur, Mandi, Shimla and Sirmaur districts till Monday.

In Shimla the maximum temperature was 22 degrees Sunday against Saturday’s high of 27 degrees.