Sweltering heat gripped the plains of Uttarakhand with the mercury in Dehradun hovering around 41 degrees celsius in the city today.
No respite from heat is expected in the next 4-5 days with no indication of rain so far and the monsoon at least two weeks away, MeT office Director Anand Sharma said.
Dehradun was the hottest in the state at 41 degrees followed by Pantnagar which recorded a maximum of 39.8 degrees C, he said.
The MeT Director warned of possible forest fires and advised people living close to forest areas to do mulching of tree roots with dry leaves to conserve moisture of the soil as a preventive measure.
"Maximum precaution should be taken by people in the plains and they should avoid going out in the sun between 11 am to 3 pm unless very necessary. If they do venture out they should not do so without covering their head," he said.
However, it is the ideal time for visiting the Char Dhams of Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath in Garhwal Himalayas as the weather is likely to remain clear over the next few days and monsoon not likely to hit the state at least two weeks from now, he said.
