COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Heat wave sweeps across the country

The capital experienced plus 44 temperature for the third consecutive day today.

The maximum temperature was recorded at 44.2 degrees Celsius, same as yesterday. On May 1 it was 44.4.

Met director S C Gupta said no respite was in sight at least for the next two days as ''there is no defined system.''

Any fluctuation would be very minor, restricted to a mere one degree Celsius, he said.

The absence of any western disturbance coupled with the hot winds from the Rajasthan and Arabian regions where the temperatures were quite high was the reason for the prolonged heat wave spell, he explained.

Also, there was no rainfall in March and April which would have brought about atmospheric cooling.

In Kanpur, the heat sweeping the industrial city for the past one week has so far claimed four lives, the police said today.

A 60-year-old man died yesterday at the railway platform.

Earlier, three people, including a woman, had died of intense heat in the city.

Meanwhile, the mercury stayed at 44.8 degree Celsius for the second successive day.

Down south, people living in coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh got some respite from the oppressive heat, as isolated rain lashed parts of coastal Rayalaseema and Telengana regions during the last 24 hours.

The weather office said Palakonda (Srikakulam district), Wanaparthy (Mahabubnagar district) and Puttur (Chittoor district) recorded one cm rainfall each.

While day temperatures were appreciably normal over coastal and Telengana regions, they were appreciably above normal at one or two places in Rayalaseema region.

Rentachintala recorded the day's highest temperature of 44 deg C.

The weather office said isolated rainfalls are likely to occur over Telengana and Rayalaseema regions during the next 24 hours.

In Madras, with summer yet to really peak, the temperature in this southern metropolis remained relatively low with the Nungambakkam observatory recording a maximum of 35.2 deg C (95.4 deg F).

The weather office said the suburban Meenambakkam observatory recorded a maximum of 36.6 deg C (97.9 deg F).

Mild hot winds and the high rate of humidity put the citizens to great discomfiture.

UNI

Tell us what you think of this report