Thunderstorm, heavy rains bring relief to scorched northwest India

An extra-tropical weather system approaching from north Pakistan led to formation of rain-bearing clouds that brought showers to parts of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttarakhand and HP early on Monday

North-western parts of the country on Monday enjoyed some respite from the scorching heatwave as the region received heavy rainfall under the influence of the season's first moderate intensity thunderstorm.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), no part of the country, except West Rajasthan, is likely to witness a heatwave condition during the next five days.

An extra-tropical weather system approaching from north Pakistan led to formation of rain-bearing clouds that brought showers to parts of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh early on Monday.

According to the weather office, thunderstorms occurred at several places in Uttarakhand, while most parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and isolated places in Rajasthan received rainfall.

On Sunday, Fatehgarh in Uttar Pradesh had recorded the maximum temperature of 45.9 degrees Celsius.

In Delhi, the morning temperature plunged 11 notches from 29 degrees Celsius to 18 degrees Celsius.

"No heatwave condition is likely to develop in any part of the country during the next five days, except in West Rajasthan, where isolated heat wave conditions are likely on May 26 and 27," the IMD said.

In the 24 hours ending 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Haryana's Faridabad received 9 cm rainfall while Gurugram and Jhajjar got 7 cm rainfall, Delhi witnessed 5 cm rain and Mussoorie received 4 cm rainfall, the IMD said.

The weather office has forecast thunderstorms and hail at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand on Tuesday and gusty winds (speed 30-40 kmph) at isolated places in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and West Madhya Pradesh.

Northwest India was reeling under intense heatwave conditions, primarily due to the absence of thunderstorms which frequent the region during summers.

The summer months of March-April-May usually witness thunderstorms for 12 to 14 days, but this season has seen only four to five thunderstorms and that too, mostly dry.

Temperature had touched 49 degrees Celsius in Banda a few days ago with mercury crossing the 46 degrees Celsius mark in several towns and cities.