Rains revive North hopes
Showers lash HP, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi
More coming, says Met

New Delhi, July 13
Will it, won’t it rain today? That’s what everybody bets for as wooly clouds come and go in largely parched swathes across northern India awaiting the full-throttle south-west monsoon. It did rain on Sunday, in fits and starts, in Delhi and parts of Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, reviving hopes of agriculturists, weather watchers as well as those in charge of taking the economy on a higher growth trajectory.

Delhi — sultry for many days — was drenched today, if not soaking wet: the traffic didn’t come to a halt and there were no reports of water-logging from residential areas. Ditto for many parts in the Capital’s neighbourhood. For the record, Delhi recorded 25.6 mm of rainfall during the day, which brought down the mercury to a pleasant 27 degrees Celsius.

Despite isolated showers in some pockets, sultry weather conditions continued to prevail in Punjab and Haryana. The MeT office in Chandigarh, however, said relief from the heatwave was round the corner.

Hisar in Haryana sizzled at 43.2 degrees Celsius, the highest in the region, while Ambala registered a high of 35.8 degrees. Chandigarh, parts of which witnessed drizzle, recorded a maximum of 36.8 degrees.

In Punjab, Amritsar was the hottest place at 40 degrees Celsius. Despite light rains, there was no relief from sweltering heat for the residents of Ludhiana (38.7 deg C) and Patiala (37.5 deg C), where the mercury stood at above normal level.

Heavy rains lashed Himachal Pradesh after a lull of 10 days. The monsoon which hit the state on July 1 and remained active for two days had become weak after that. Dharamsala witnessed 184 mm rain till this evening while Baijnath and Kangra received 60 mm and 48 mm rainfall, respectively.

Incessant rains threw life out of gear in Kangra region but brought cheers to farmers who were upset over break in monsoon. The rains are considered good for paddy and other crops and sowing of maize.

The sky remained overcast in Shimla, Solan and some other places. he local MeT office has predicted moderate to heavy rains at some places tomorrow and heavy rains at many places from July 15 onwards.

In UP, two persons were killed and three others injured after being struck by lightning as moderate to heavy rains continued in several parts of the state's eastern region since yesterday.

A poor monsoon cuts exports, stokes food inflation and leads to lower demand for products ranging from cars to consumer goods, while a slow start could delay exports of some crops and increase the need for imports. — Agencies

Punjab, Haryana humid

Despite isolated showers in some pockets, sultry weather conditions prevailed in Punjab and Haryana. Relief from the heatwave was round the corner, said Met.

Capital turns cool

Delhi -- sultry for many days -- recorded 25.6 mm of rainfall during the day, which brought down the mercury to a pleasant 27 degrees Celsius.

Dharamsala drenched

Himachal was lashed by heavy showers after a lull of 10 days. Dharamsala witnessed 184 mm of rainfall. The sky remained overcast in Shimla and Solan.