Dry and hot weather conditions returned to Uttar Pradesh where mercury crossed the 40 degree Celsius mark, even as temperature in other areas of northern region remained under normal level for this time of the year.
Temperature hovered three notches below normal in the national capital to settle at 36.7 degree Celsius, while the minimum was recorded at 24.1 degree Celsius, two notches below normal.
The weatherman has predicted partly cloudy sky and duststorm or thunderstorm could occur in some areas. The maximum temperature would be around 34 deg C.
In Uttar Pradesh, which was the hottest in the northern region, temperature in Etawah surged to the highest in the state at 43.8 degrees Celsius.
Mercury in the tourist destination of Agra settled at 38.5 deg C, Jhansi at 39.7 deg C, state capital Lucknow recorded 40.8 deg C while Allahabad and Varanasi registered 42.4 and 42.5 degree C respectively.
In the desert state of Rajasthan, however, mercury did not cross the 40 degree mark, even as Kota was the hottest place in the state recording a maximum of 39.9 degree Celsius followed by Jaipur at 38.9 degrees C.
Few places in Bikaner and Udaipur divisions and isolated places in Jaipur and Jodhpur divisions recorded light to moderate rainfall during the last 24 hours.
Meanwhile, temperatures also dropped by a few notches below normal in Punjab and Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh recorded below normal maximum at 33.5 degree C.
Among other places in Punjab, Amritsar and Ludhiana recorded a high of 34.4 degree Celsius each, while Patiala recorded 35 degree Celsius, down by three notches.
In Haryana, Ambala, Hisar and Bhiwani recorded maximum at 35.5 deg C, 37.1 deg C and 35.8 deg C respectively.
The weatherman has forecast light rain or thundershowers to occur at isolated places in the two states during next 24 hours.
