Punjab, Haryana Receive Light Rains, Relief Likely In Delhi Soon, Heatwave Intensifies In Other Parts. Key Points

Delhi, which had recorded temperatures above 40 degree Celsius in the past few days, had some respite with strong winds and partly cloudy skies during the day.

Women use scarves to shield themselves from the hot summer sun, in Mathura.

New Delhi: As most parts of the country continued to reel under scorching heat, the heatwave like conditions intensified on Wednesday, with northeastern state of Tripura declaring a 'state specific disaster'. Meanwhile, many parts of Punjab and Haryana received overnight rains leading to a drop in the temperature.

Delhi, which had recorded temperatures above 40 degree Celsius in the past few days, had some respite with strong winds and partly cloudy skies during the day. "The maximum temperature is likely to drop by another two to three degrees over the next two days in the city," a MeT official said.

Here are the key updates:

• According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh and Baripada in Odisha recorded the maximum temperature of 44.5 degrees Celsius. Several places in Uttar Pradesh recorded maximum temperature in the 40-45 degrees range, including Hamirpur with 43.2 degrees Celsius followed by Kushinagar 44.1 degrees, Jhansi 43.6 degrees, Agra 43.4 degrees and Kanpur 43 degrees Celsius.
• With dust storm and light rains hitting parts of east Rajasthan, the weather office predicted a dip of 2-4 degrees Celsius in the maximum temperature. According to MeT, dust storm conditions were witnessed in several areas in Bikaner and Jodhpur divisions. Jaisalmer and Bikaner on Wednesday.
• Tripura, that has been reeling under hot weather conditions since last week, decided to identity heatwave, sunstroke and sunburn as 'state specific disasters' and on Wednesday urged the people to take necessary steps to guard themselves against the weather.
• According to IMD, heatwave conditions are prevailing in isolated pockets over Gangetic West Bengal since the last eight days, Andhra Pradesh since the last six days, and Bihar since the last five days.
• The weather office forecast heatwave conditions in some parts with severe heatwave conditions in isolated pockets of West Bengal till Thursday. Bankura recorded the highest temperature on Tuesday at 44.1 degrees Celsius, while the mercury rose to 43.4 degrees Celsius at Panagarh air force station in West Bardhaman district.
• Light rains hit parts of Punjab and Haryana, with Chandigarh receiving 2.2 mm rain. In Punjab, Ludhiana (13.2) mm, Patiala (2.5 mm), Bathinda (5.4 mm), Faridkot (8.4 mm), Hoshiarpur (4 mm), Jalandhar (3 mm) and Rupnagar (11.5 mm) were among other places to receive light rain.
• The higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh received a fresh spell of snow, while many other parts received rains. The IMD has predicted heavy rainfall in the state on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the sky remained overcast in Shimla and surrounding areas with fog reducing the visibility to a few metres in the morning.
• The higher reaches of Kashmir continued to receive snowfall for the second consecutive day on Wednesday. Parts of the Valley, including Keran and Machil in Kupwara district, Gurez, in Bandipora district, and Sonamarg in Ganderbal district, received light snowfall. Snowfall occurred on the Zojila Pass along the Srinagar-Leh National Highway, and the plain areas, including Srinagar city, were lashed by overnight rains, bringing the temperature down.