The relentless heatwave across much of north India since mid-May has worsened over the past few days, with night temperatures rising sharply at many places and the mercury shooting up to uncomfortable levels even in the ‘salubrious’ hill towns of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
At least four cities reported their warmest night ever on Tuesday, with the minimum temperature at Alwar (Rajasthan) recorded at a scorching 37°C while Varanasi reported 33.6°C, and Lakhimpur Kheri as well as Shahjahanpur (both in UP) logging 33°C.
Over the past few weeks, temperatures in Mussoorie have ranged between 30 and 35°C compared to a normal for this time of the year of 25 to 30°C. In Pithoragarh, the mercury reached around 36-37°C. Munsyari recorded a maximum of 29°C, six notches above normal. Kalamuni, located at around 10,000 feet, hit 26°C, causing the water level of the Gori river, originating from the Milam glacier, to rise substantially.
At a Uttarkashi hotel, a tourist was privy to an argument between a group from Gujarat and the hotelier. The group offered extra money for AC rooms, only to be told, “This is a hill station; we don’t have AC rooms.” The group sarcastically responded, “Which hill station gets so hot?” and shortened their holiday by a few days.
Dehradun, located in the foothills and generally known for its mild weather, has been witnessing an unprecedented spell of heat since the summer set in around mid-April. Temperatures have consistently breached the 40°C mark, including three occasions when they exceeded 43°C. The extreme heat has left residents struggling to cope with the drastic change.
In the sizzling plains, the mercury touched 47.6°C at Prayagraj on Sunday and Monday, making it the hottest place in India so far this week. This was 8.7°C higher than normal.
UP remained the hottest region of the country on Tuesday, with heatwave to severe heatwave conditions observed in many parts of the state and in some parts of south Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, IMD said. Heatwave conditions persisted over many parts of Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi and Punjab and in isolated pockets over north MP, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar & Jammu division.
However, the met department held out hope of some relief, with the heatwave expected to gradually abate from Wednesday, at least for the next few days.
At least four cities reported their warmest night ever on Tuesday, with the minimum temperature at Alwar (Rajasthan) recorded at a scorching 37°C while Varanasi reported 33.6°C, and Lakhimpur Kheri as well as Shahjahanpur (both in UP) logging 33°C.
Over the past few weeks, temperatures in Mussoorie have ranged between 30 and 35°C compared to a normal for this time of the year of 25 to 30°C. In Pithoragarh, the mercury reached around 36-37°C. Munsyari recorded a maximum of 29°C, six notches above normal. Kalamuni, located at around 10,000 feet, hit 26°C, causing the water level of the Gori river, originating from the Milam glacier, to rise substantially.
At a Uttarkashi hotel, a tourist was privy to an argument between a group from Gujarat and the hotelier. The group offered extra money for AC rooms, only to be told, “This is a hill station; we don’t have AC rooms.” The group sarcastically responded, “Which hill station gets so hot?” and shortened their holiday by a few days.
Dehradun, located in the foothills and generally known for its mild weather, has been witnessing an unprecedented spell of heat since the summer set in around mid-April. Temperatures have consistently breached the 40°C mark, including three occasions when they exceeded 43°C. The extreme heat has left residents struggling to cope with the drastic change.
In the sizzling plains, the mercury touched 47.6°C at Prayagraj on Sunday and Monday, making it the hottest place in India so far this week. This was 8.7°C higher than normal.
UP remained the hottest region of the country on Tuesday, with heatwave to severe heatwave conditions observed in many parts of the state and in some parts of south Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, IMD said. Heatwave conditions persisted over many parts of Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi and Punjab and in isolated pockets over north MP, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar & Jammu division.
However, the met department held out hope of some relief, with the heatwave expected to gradually abate from Wednesday, at least for the next few days.
