New Delhi: With the monsoon approaching, several states witnessed a drop in temperatures and increased rainfall activity, while the India Meteorological Department (IMD) projected below-normal southwest monsoon rainfall this year.
Delhi recorded its lowest maximum temperature in the last 21 days under cloudy skies. The IMD forecast rain and thunderstorms across parts of north India, including Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The monsoon is expected to reach Kerala within the next seven days.
For the June-September season, rainfall across India is projected at 90 per cent of the long-period average (LPA), with a margin of error of 4 per cent. While the northeast is likely to receive normal rainfall, most other regions may experience below-normal precipitation.
In Rajasthan, temperatures remained high, though thunderstorms, dust storms and rain are expected to continue for the next four to five days due to a western disturbance. Bari in Dholpur district recorded the highest rainfall at 58 mm in the past 24 hours. The IMD also warned of hailstorms and lightning in isolated areas.
At least five people, including a girl and two women, were killed in lightning strikes across Ranchi, Garhwa, Dhanbad and Bokaro districts of Jharkhand over the past 24 hours, police said.
Punjab received widespread rainfall on Saturday morning, bringing relief from the intense heat. Showers were reported in Chandigarh, Mohali, Pathankot, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Rupnagar and SBS Nagar.
Delhi-NCR also experienced relief after thunderstorms, strong winds and light rain lowered temperatures and improved air quality. However, the IMD has forecast a gradual rise in temperatures after Saturday.
In Tamil Nadu, the Regional Meteorological Centre issued a heavy rain alert for 14 districts, including Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Theni, Dindigul, Salem and Erode. The weather department attributed the conditions to a cyclonic circulation over the southwest Arabian Sea.
In Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district, 19-year-old Abhinav Vajpayee from Lucknow died after being struck by lightning during a trek in the Tungnath-Chandrashila region. Another trekker sustained serious injuries.
Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh recorded widespread rainfall, thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds under the influence of a strong western disturbance. The weather brought significant relief from the summer heat and led to a rise in tourist arrivals across the hill state.
