Ten people were killed in landslides triggered by torrential rains in Assam even as the intense heat wave scorched the northern states with Palodhi in Rajasthan sizzling at 50.5 degrees Celsius and Odisha reporting one more sunstroke death.
For Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry, the MeT department issued a "very heavy rainfall" warning for the next two days.
Palodhi in Rajasthan recorded the highest in the country today and the highest in the state this season at 50.5 degrees, followed by Churu at 49.1, Jaisalmer at 48.8 and Barmer at 48.6 degrees.
Delhi had a hot day, recording the maximum temperature at 43.7 degrees. The Palam observatory, however, recorded mercury at 46.4 degrees. The minimum temperature in the city was 26.4 degrees.
Odisha reported another sunstroke death, taking the toll to 19. Sonepur was the hottest place in the state at 41.4 degrees.
Continuous heavy rains in Assam for the last three days triggered landslides that claimed 10 lives in Karimganj and Hailakandi districts in Barak Valley. NDRF and police are undertaking rescue and relief operations.
In Arunachal Pradesh, flood waters of the overflowing Noa-Dehing river, fed by torrential rain in the past few days, have inundated several areas in Namsai district.
Parts of Tamil Nadu received rains for the third day today even as the MeT office said the deep depression in the Bay of Bengal is expected to intensify into a cyclonic storm in the next two days, bringing heavy rains in north coastal areas of the state and Puducherry.
"The depression over Southwest Bay of Bengal moved nearly northwards in past six hours and today it is located about 90 km east of Chennai and 70 kms from the (eastern) coast," the MeT department said.
The system was likely to move north-northeastwards and intensify into a cyclonic storm in the next 48 hours. Under its influence, heavy to very heavy rainfall was expected over north Coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in the next 24 hours, it said in a release.
In Chennai and its neighbourhood, four NDRF teams have been deployed in low lying areas and boats kept ready to rescue people in the event of flooding.
Rainfall was likely to occur at many places with heavy to very heavy precipitation over south Andhra Pradesh coast during next 48 hours, it said.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has directed all district Collectors to take precautionary measures in view of cyclone threat to southern and northern parts of the state.
Rains and thundershowers are also likely to hit Odisha in the next 24 hours due to a deep depression that centered over west-central and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal, an IMD alert said.
In Uttarakhand, forest fires were reignited by soaring temperatures and dry weather. 180 hectares of forest land spread over 111 places in the district are in flames, Uttarkashi District Magistrate Shridhar Babu Addanki said.
The state is reeling under heat wave conditions for over a week now with most places recording temperatures which are four to five degrees above normal for this time of the year. That may be one of the factors behind the fresh forest fires in parts of the state, MeT director Vikram Singh said.
Mercury hovered above 40 degrees mark in Punjab and Haryana with Hisar being the hottest in the two states at 46.8 degrees. Banda in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh sizzled at 47 degrees.
Meanwhile, IMD has issued "severe heat wave" warning for Gujarat, west and east Rajasthan, west and east Uttar Pradesh, Vidarbha, west and east Madhya Pradesh for the next three days.
(REOPENS DEL44)
Heavy rains in Haryana and Punjab led to a drop in the maximum temperature across the two states.
The Haryana administration is monitoring the water level in major rivers in the state in the wake of heavy rainfall in Narnaul, Yamunanagar, Ambala, Hisar and Gurgaon.
The weatherman has forecast rains over the next two-three days, saying the monsoon continues to be active over the region.
