Rain bring relief from heat in Punjab, Haryana
Rain led to sharp drop in maximum temperatures at many places in Punjab and Haryana on Saturday, which has been reeling under sizzling heat.
Ambala recorded a high of 31.9° Celsius, seven notches below the normal. Karnal recorded a high of 32° Celsius, also seven notches below normal limits, but Hisar and Bhiwani continued to brave hot weather recording maximum temperatures of 41° Celsius and 41.4° Celsius, respectively.
Chandigarh, the common capital of Punjab and Haryana, received rains earlier in the day and recorded a high of 33.8° Celsius, down five notches against normal limits, the MeT department said. In Punjab, Amritsar received rains and recorded a high of 31.7° Celsius, down nine notches against normal limit.
Ludhiana and Patiala too received rains and registered maximum temperatures of 32.6° Celsius and 33° Celsius, respectively.
The weatherman has forecast thunderstorm with gusty winds at isolated places in the two states till Sunday.
FARMERS HAPPY
Sudden change in weather and spell of rain gave a little relief from the scorching heatwave on Saturday afternoon in the region.
The farmers can also be seen rejoicing after rain and are expecting more rainfall for their crops. The meteorological department at the Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University has predicted more rain at some isolated areas, coupled with dust storms.
Raj Singh, head of meteorological and agriculture department said, “Rain during the sowing time of cotton crop is like a boon for the farmers as excessive heat may damage the cotton saplings.”
Singh also suggested the farmers, who have started sowing of cotton crop early and are facing loss due to heat, to start the sowing again.
“The temperature of Hisar district was recorded 45 degrees Celsius, on Friday. Now the spell of after dust storm and rain at various places will bring the temperature down to around 5 degrees Celsius.”