Mercury hovers around normal in north; rain, thunderstorm kill

Mercury today hovered around normal levels across north India including in Uttar Pradesh where rain and thunderstorm claimed 14 lives and injured many others.
In the national capital, the maximum temperature settled two notches below the season's average at 36.9 degrees Celsius as the city witnessed partly cloudy sky.
The minimum temperature was recorded at 24 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the year. Humidity in air oscillated between 60 and 45 per cent.
MeT department officials predicted that dust storm or thunderstorm may occur in some parts of the capital late in the evening.
Thunderstorm and heavy rains hit several parts of Uttar Pradesh today, killing at least 14 persons.

Four persons were killed in Pratapgarh district, three in Rae Bareli, two each in Lucknow, Ballia and Amethi, and one in Azamgarh, a government spokesman said in Lukcnow. Storm, lightning and rain led to most of the deaths.

According to the Lucknow MeT office, chief amount of rainfall recorded in cm was Pawayan 4, Bahraich and Kayamgunj 3 each, Utraula, Badaun, Moradabad, Sambhal, Amroha, Sahahjahanpur, Lucknow and Kheri 2 each, Bareilly, Sahaswan, Nighasan, Barabanki and Haideregarh 1 cm each.
Temperature hovered below normal levels in Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Faizabad, Allahabad, Lucknow, Bareilly, Moradabad, Jhansi, Agra and Meerut divisions. Etawah recorded the state's highest maximum temperature at 41.8 degrees Celsius.

In Rajasthan, however, heat wave conditions prevailed in most parts. Chittorgarh was the hottest place with a maximum temperature of 45 degrees Celsius.
Mercury also registered upward trend in Jaipur and Udaipur divisions due to dry weather conditions.
Kota recorded a maximum of 43.4 degrees Celsius, followed by Jaipur, Pilani, and Barmer with 42 degrees each.
Elsewhere in the state, the maximum temperature varied between 40 and 42 degrees Celsius.