Heatwave grips north, Jaisalmer swelters at 46.4C

Scorching weather tightened its grip on northern and eastern India with mercury soaring in most areas and crossing the 46-degree mark in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer district, even as four children were killed in Bihar when lightening struck them.
The national capital reeled under intense heat as the maximum temperature settled at 41.3 degrees Celsius.
The minimum temperature was recorded at 28.5 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal. The humidity levels oscillated between 28 and 51 per cent.
The mercury continued its upward trend in the desert state of Rajasthan, affecting normal life. The maximum temperatures rose by at least three degrees across the state.

Places that sweltered under the scorching sun included Jaisalmer (46.4) Ganganagar (46), Barmer (45.7), Churu (45.5), Bikaner (44.6), Kota (44.3), Jodhpur (42.9), Pilani (42.7), Jaipur (42.3) and Ajmer (41.9). Traces of rainfall were recorded in Tonk, Piplu and Uniyara.
In Punjab and Haryana, intense heatwave conditions prevailed with the mercury soaring to several notches above normal in both states.

Hisar was the hottest place in the two states at 45 degrees Celsius. Narnaul, Ambala and Karnal recorded the maximum temperatures at 43.5, 41.4 and 42 respectively.
Chandigarh had a high of 41.2 degrees Celsius. Amritsar, Ludhiana and Patiala braved a hot day at 41.5, 42.2 and 42.4 degrees Celsius respectively.

In Bihar's Bhagalpur district, four children, aged between 10 and 14, were killed and as many were injured when lightning struck them.
The incident occurred when the children were plucking mangos in an orchard in Siya village.
The mercury crossed the 40-degree mark at several places, including Patna (42) and Bhagalpur (40). Gaya was the hottest place in the state at 44.1 degrees Celsius.
Heavy rains in North Sikkim district led to a massive rockslide which has blocked Toong-Sankalang road between Saffo and Ship-Gyer.
Officials said due to the large size of the rockslide and the difficult terrain, it is not possible to even cross it on foot. There is danger of more rocks and stones falling from the mountain at the spot.

There was, however, no report of any injury or loss of life as the area is uninhabited.
The weatherman has forecast heavy rains at isolated places in Assam, Meghalaya, sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim and south interior Karnataka.
It predicted severe heat wave conditions in Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and Telangana.