North India swelters under stifling heat, mercury touches 46 degrees Celsius

North India reeled under scorching heat on Thursday as mercury touched the 46 degrees Celsius-mark. Weather stations at Ayanagar in Delhi recorded maximum temperature of 46.4 degrees Celsius.

New Delhi: Several parts of north India reeled under scorching heat on Thursday as mercury touched the 46 degrees Celsius-mark, with the weatherman predicting severe heatwave in some parts of Rajasthan.

In the national capital, weather stations at Ayanagar recorded maximum temperature of 46.4 degrees Celsius.

Heat wave conditions remained unabated in parts of Rajasthan where Ganganagar became the hottest place with a maximum temperature of 46.1 degrees Celsius.

Churu, Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Jaipur recorded a maximum of 45.6 degrees, 44.8 degrees, 44 degrees and 43.3 degrees Celsius, respectively.

A MeT official said weather conditions would remain the same with possibilities of severe heatwave at some places in the desert state during the next 24 hours.

The maximum temperature also hovered above normal limits in Haryana and Punjab.

In Haryana, Hisar sweltered at 44.2 degrees Celsius, while Narnaul recorded a high of 43.6 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal.

Ambala recorded a maximum of 40.8 degrees, three degrees above normal, while Karnal recorded 39.5 degrees Celsius, it said.

Amritsar, Ludhiana and Patiala in Punjab recorded above normal maximum temperatures of 41.4 degrees, 41.6 degrees and 41.3 degrees, respectively.

Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, registered a maximum of 40.2 degrees Celsius, two notches against normal limits.

Meanwhile, an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said unseasonal showers in central Maharashtra and Cyclone Nisarga that lashed coastal areas have put the state in the largely excess rainfall category.

According to the IMD forecast, widespread showers are likely in the coastal areas of Maharashtra, while the rest of the state is expected to get scattered and isolated showers till June 22.

The IMD has predicted normal rainfall (103 per cent) for northwest India this year.

PTI