Lightning
Temperatures hovered around normal levels in most parts of the country except in some areas of Odisha and Rajasthan, where Phalodi town sizzled at season's highest of 48 degrees Celsius, even as three persons were killed in lightning incidents in Jharkhand.

In the national capital, it was a clear sky with the maximum temperature settling at 38.4 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the year. The minimum was recorded at 27.6 degrees Celsius, three notches above the season's average.

In Jharkhand's Hazaribagh district, which recorded 30 mm rainfall, three persons, including a 13-year-old boy, were killed by the thunderbolt at Katkamdag, Chharau, and Oreya villages, police said.

Palamau and Chaibasa recorded maximum of 41.6 and 41.5 degrees Celsius respectively even as several parts of the state experienced cloudy sky with temperatures between 35 and 39 degrees Celsius, the MeT officials in the state said.

Rajasthan's Phalodi town in Jodhpur district recorded the season's highest at 48 degrees Celsius due to which normal life was thrown out of gear.

Sizzling heat affected normal life in other parts of the state as well, particularly the western areas where Bikaner recorded 45.4 degrees Celsius. Churu, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Kota, Jaipur, and Ajmer registered a maximum of 44.8, 44.7, 44.4, 44.1, 42.9, and 42.6 degrees Celsius respectively.

In Odisha, eight places recorded temperatures above 40 even though the mercury level lowered in the coastal regions.

Balangir recorded a maximum of 42 degrees Celsius followed by Titlagarh (41.5), Sonepur (41.4), Jharsuguda (41.3), Samabalapur (41.1), and Bhubaneswar at 39.7 degrees Celsius.

Special relief commissioner's office in the state said there is no increase in the number of deaths in heat-related incidents, which stands at 16. However, suspected heat-related death toll increased by three to 171.

In Uttar Pradesh, rain and thundershower occurred at isolated places where Agra recorded the highest temperature at 42.5 degree Celsius. Temperatures were appreciably below normal in Gorakhpur, Faizabad, Bareilly divisions; below normal in Kanpur, Meerut divisions, and normal in remaining divisions.

Hisar at 42.7 was the hottest place in Punjab and Haryana even as maximum temperatures hovered around normal level in most parts of both the states. In Punjab, Amritsar recorded its highest at 40.4 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal.

Hyderabad and several parts of Telangana have been receiving sporadic rains for the last several days, which brought down the temperatures considerably.

While Telangana has not reported any heat-related death in the last two days, the toll for the season till May 7 stands at 260, a state disaster management official said.

Source: PTI