Hot conditions in most parts of country, rains in northeast

New Delhi: Sweltering heat continued across the country with Titlagarh in Orissa touching 47.5 degrees Celsius even as incessant rain and hailstorm wreaked havoc in northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram.

Two sunstroke-related deaths were reported today from West Bengal while at least 16 people lost their lives in a massive landslide triggered by incessant rains that hit a labour camp in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh.

Delhi witnessed a hot and sunny day but a duststrom in the evening brought the mercury down marginally, bringing some relief to the residents.

The maximum temperature was recorded at 39.5 degrees Celsius, two notches above the season's average while the minimum temperature settled at 24.8 degrees.

In Orissa, after Titlagarh in Bolangir district, Sonepur was the second hottest place with mercury rising to 46.3 degrees Celsius. Most of the areas in western Orissa has been reeling under intense heat wave conditions with temperature hovering around 44 deg C.

Orissa capital, Bhubaneswar recorded a high of 40.5 deg Celsius, Met department said.

In neighbouring West Bengal, there was no respite from sultry weather conditions. Met department predicted severe heatwave like conditions to prevail for few days as no rains are expected in the next couple of days.

"Severe heatwave like situation is likely to be over Bankura, Birbhum and Burdwan districts and very likely over West Midnapore, Nadia, Murshidabad, Howrah, Purulia and Malda districts of West Bengal," a senior Met official said.

The state witnessed two deaths, one in Birbhum's Suri and another in Howrah, reportedly because of heat stroke.

Mercury rose to the maximum 45 degrees Celsius in Bankura, Sriniketan and Burdwan recorded 42 deg C followed by Krishnagar (44), Behrampur (41), Malda (41) and Kolkata (39).

"The scattered heatwave and isolated severe heatwave will continue because moisture from the Bay of Bengal has moved towards Bangladesh and the North-Eastern Himalayan region of Assam and Tripura resulting in heavy rainfall there.

"This is also the reason why it is so dry in West Bengal this year and it will continue be so in the next 72 hours," the official said.

Rain continued to wreak havoc in Namsai and Changlang districts in Arunachal Pradesh with reports of rising water of the Noa Dehing and the Jengthu rivers inundating fresh areas besides damaging several flood protection embankments.