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By India Today News Desk: Light showers brought some respite to people from the scorching heat in North India on Thursday as the mercury dipped by a few notches in several states, including Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.
Parts of the national capital received light rains on Thursday evening, bringing some respite from the persistent heatwave conditions. The maximum temperature settled at 36.3 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The maximum temperature in several parts of UP also recorded a slight dip on Thursday, bringing relief from the severe heatwave conditions that battered the state over the past few days. The mercury had soared past the 44-degrees Celsius mark on Wednesday, with Prayagraj the hottest at 44.5 degrees.
In Himachal Pradesh, intermittent rains accompanied by hailstorms lashed several parts of the state, while tribal areas received fresh snowfall.
Similarly, Madhya Pradesh’s capital Bhopal and some other parts of the state witnessed thunderstorms along with lightning and drizzle on Thursday morning owing to a western disturbance.
ALSO READ | Relief in sight as IMD predicts light rain in sun-scorched north India but heatwave to continue in THESE states
HEATWAVE PERSISTS IN THESE STATES
While parts of north India experienced relief from hot weather conditions, heatwave conditions prevailed in other parts of the country, including Gangetic West Bengal on Thursday. The maximum temperature settled at 40.6 degrees Celsius, five notches above normal, in Kolkata, IMD said.
Jharkhand continued to reel under intense heatwave conditions with mercury soaring to 44.7 degrees Celsius in some areas. Jharkhand’s Godda registered the highest temperature at 44.7 degrees Celsius, while Jamshedpur recorded 44.1 degrees Celsius. The state government has already announced a change in school timings from April 19-25.
Similarly, the Maharashtra government on Thursday announced early summer vacation for primary, middle, and higher secondary schools of state board from Friday owing to heatwave conditions.
IMD has predicted that heat wave conditions are likely to continue over East India during the next two days.
90% OF INDIA IN HEATWAVE ‘DANGER ZONE’
Over 90 percent of India’s total area is in the “extremely cautious” or “danger zone” of being hit by heatwaves, which are becoming more frequent due to climate change, said a new study.
According to the study conducted by Ramit Debnath and colleagues at the University of Cambridge, Delhi is particularly vulnerable to severe heatwave impacts.
The heatwaves are also impeding India’s efforts towards achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) more significantly than previously thought, said the report, adding that current assessment metrics may not fully capture the impact of heatwaves on the country.
DELHI WEATHER UPDATE
There were light rains in parts of the national capital on Thursday evening, bringing some respite from the persistent heatwave conditions in the city.
The maximum temperature settled at 36.3 degrees Celsius, one notch below normal, while the minimum temperature was recorded at 23.4 degrees Celsius, two notches above the season’s average, stated the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC). The relative humidity at 5.30 pm was 33 per cent, the bulletin said.
Meanwhile, the air quality was recorded in the moderate category with an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 159, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
According to the 7-day forecast, Delhi is likely to witness partly cloudy skies, with the possibility of drizzle at one or two places on Friday.
(With inputs from PTI)
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