Monsoon rains lash North India, mercury plunges

Moderate to heavy rains today lashed several parts of the northern region bringing down temperatures by several notches, providing respite to people from hot and humid weather conditions.
Showers brought much-needed relief to Delhi residents as the maximum temperature was recorded at 36.8 degree Celsius and the minimum settled at 28.9 degree Celsius.
Humidity levels, however, remained high, oscillating between 78 and 57 degree Celsius.
Pilgrimage to Himalayan shrine Badrinath in Uttarakhand was stalled today in view of the MeT department warning of heavy showers from July 16 to July 18, a day after pilgrimage to Kedarnath shrine was suspended, Chamoli District Magistrate S A Murugesan said.

The pilgrims bound for the famed temple have been asked not to go beyond Joshimath till further orders, he said, adding the yatra will remain suspended till tomorrow when the warning gets over.
As South West monsoon further advance, several places in Rajasthan receiving light to moderate rains during the last 24 hours, including in Udaipur, Ajmer and Jaipur division, while heavy rainfall occurred at Kota and Udaipur.

The maximum temperatures across Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, continued to hover below normal level for the second consecutive day following rains at some places.
Chandigarh had overcast conditions during the day and light showers lashed the city this evening, ending prolonged dry spell here. The maximum temperature here settled at 33.2 degrees Celsius.

In Punjab, Amritsar received heavy rains (59 mm) during the day and the temperature settled at 32.6 degree Celsius.
Ambala in Haryana, which received light showers, recorded a high of 33 deg C, while Hisar recorded a high of 36.7 deg C.
Light to moderate rains and thundershowers occurred at isolated places over east Uttar Pradesh in the last 24 hours.