Dehradun residents reeling under the sweltering heat for the past few days with the mercury nearing 36 degree Celsius, the intensity of their suffering is likely to increase further as the weather officials forecast heat wave sweeping the city as well as many parts of the state during the next 48 hours from Monday. However, the possibility of rain across Uttarakhand on April 20 might give a short-lived relief to the people grappling hard with the summer heat.
With the maximum temperature soaring upto 35.9 degree Celsius on Sunday, the roads across Dehradun were found deserted during the day hours. Those who were forced to come out had their faces covered. To shield themselves from the scorching heat, most of them used umbrellas. With the mercury spiralling, the people across the ages are being found to consume ice creams, cold drinks and the like by way of beating the heat.
Uttarakhand Meteorological centre director Bikram Singh said that the heat wave condition is likely to sweep across the state for the next two days starting from Monday. Even the hills with altitude of less than 2000 meters would not be spared the heat wave, he warned, adding that the maximum temperature is likely to soar to over 37 degree Celsius in Dehradun under the impact of the likely heat wave condition on Monday.
Pantnagar in Udham Singh Nagar district recorded the highest temperature of the stare settling at 36.7 degree Celsius while the lowest minimum temperature in the state 11.3°C was recorded at Munsiyari on Sunday.
While the maximum settled at 35.9ºC (three degree above the normal) and the minimum at 19.2 ºC (two degree above the normal) in Dehradun it was 28.4ºC (six degree above the normal) and 14.2ºC (four degree above the normal) in Mukteshwar and 36.7ºC (normal) and 20.5ºC (five degree above the normal) in Pantnagar on Sunday.
In Tehri district, the maximum temperature was reported as 26.8 degree Celsius while the minimum was 14.6 degree Celsius on Sunday, Singh said.