Lucknow/Chandigarh/Shimla:
Heat wave conditions intensified across north India on Friday with the mercury hovering between 46 and 48.4 degrees Celsius at several places. There is no respite was in sight in the next few days though the monsoon hit Kerala today, a day behind schedule.
Extreme heat wave conditions continued in most parts of Uttar Pradesh with the mercury climbing steadily. Met officials said Mahoba, with a maximum temperature of 48.4 degrees Celsius, was the hottest.
Day temperatures in the state hovered around 46 degrees Celsius in most places, including state capital Lucknow. Temperatures significantly soared in Agra, Unnao, Kanpur, Bareilly, Kannauj, Mainpuri, Muzaffarnagar, Deoria and Gorakhpur and humidity levels were also high.
Power outages made life miserable for the common people. No power supply in many parts of Lucknow and other districts added to the people's problems with power cuts extending from 8 to 10 hours. People at many places took to the streets to protest and, in some instances, even held power staff hostage.
Regional Met director JP Gupta, said in Lucknow that the monsoon, after hitting the Kerala coast earlier in the day, was "on schedule" and in all likelihood, will reach the eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh by June 15.
In Haryana, Hisar town sizzled at 46.5 degrees as heat wave conditions intensified over most parts of the state and Punjab. The temperature at most places ranged from 44 to 46.5 degrees, Met officials said. Bhiwani recorded a high of 45.6 degrees while Ambala recorded 44.9 degrees.
In Punjab, Patiala was the hottest at 45.6 degrees while Amritsar and Ludhiana had a high of 45.5 degrees.
Chandigarh recorded a high of 44.5 degrees, five degrees above normal.
Met officials ruled out any relief from the heat wave in the next two to three days.
The hills of Himachal Pradesh were slightly better than the plains but the mercury soared here also. State capital Shimla recorded a maximum temperature of 30.7 degrees Celsius, a whopping six notches above the season's average.
"Temperatures across the state rose abnormally, remaining above average by two to seven degrees Celsius," an official of the Met Office in Shimla told IANS.
According to him, Una town was the hottest place in the hill state with the maximum temperature touching 44.4 degrees Celsius. Sundernagar in Mandi district recorded a maximum of 39.8 degrees, Bhuntar in Kullu district touched 36.5 degrees, Dharamsala in Kangra district was at 35.4 degrees. The picturesque tourist resort of Manali recorded a high of 27.2 degrees.