Rains in north, monsoon to advance into eastern India

Rains halted the rise of the mercury in northern states, barring Rajasthan, even as the weatherman predicted more showers, which are likely to keep the heat in check for another two-three days.
The weatherman has predicted very heavy rains in Assam, Meghalaya, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, and heavy showers in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and Goa.
The northern states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan will be hit by a thundersquall and hailstorm.
The MeT office said favourable conditions are developing for the advance of the southwest monsoon into some more parts of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra's Vidarbha region, the remaining parts of Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, some parts of east Madhya Pradesh and east Uttar Pradesh over the next two-three days.

The national capital reeled under sultry conditions, with the humidity levels oscillating between 56 and 95 per cent. They city recorded a high of 37.4 degrees Celsius and a low of 24 degrees Celsius.
Rains lashed several parts of Punjab and Haryana, leading to a drop in the mercury levels.

The Union Territory of Chandigarh, which gauged 43.4 mm of rainfall, recorded a maximum of 35.5 degrees Celsius.
In Punjab, a heavy downpour (20 mm) drenched Amritsar.
The maximum temperature in most parts of the two states remained below 39 degrees Celsius.
However, the mercury rose by 1 to 2 degrees Celsius at most of the places in Rajasthan. Churu was the hottest place in the state at 42.7 degrees Celsius. Kota had a high of 41.8, Ganganagar 40.5, Jaipur 40.3 and Barmer 40.

Light to moderate rainfall occurred in Jaipur and Bharatpur divisions. The weather remained dry in the rest of the state.
The maximum temperature in Bihar stayed below the 42- degree Celsius mark. Gaya was the hottest place in the state at 41.1 degrees Celsius. Eastern parts of the state received traces of rainfall.