Reeling under intense heatwave, Rajasthan gets respite with dust storms and rain

Jaipur, May 2 (IANS) Rajasthan, which had been reeling under an intense heat wave, got much-needed respite on Friday with dust storms and rainfall sweeping across several parts of the state. Dust storms struck regions including Jaipur, Bharatpur, Alwar, and Jhunjhunu, with wind speeds exceeding 40 km/h.

The strong winds caused trees and solar panels to collapse in parts of Jaipur.

The Meteorological Department has issued warnings of thunderstorms, rain, and possible hailstorms in most districts, except for the southern districts of Pratapgarh, Dungarpur, and Banswara.

In Jaipur, strong winds uprooted trees on Ajmer Road and in the Khatipura area, disrupting traffic late Thursday night. Solar panels were also damaged in the Harmara locality due to intense gusts.

According to data from the Meteorological Department, Kaman in Bharatpur recorded the highest rainfall in the state over the past 24 hours at 77 mm.

Other notable figures include 31 mm in Sam (Jaisalmer), 20.1 mm in Pilani (Jhunjhunu), 17 mm in Rajgarh (Alwar), 14 mm in Jaisalmer city, 11.5 mm in Ganganagar, and 10 mm in Devikot (Jaisalmer).

Cities including Jaipur, Alwar, Dausa, Jhunjhunu, Churu, Hanumangarh, and Bhilwara received between 1 mm and 10 mm of rainfall.

On Thursday evening, thunderstorms accompanied by rain were reported in Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Bhilwara, and Pali.

In Jaisalmer, strong winds knocked down power poles, affecting the electricity supply.

On Thursday, before the rains and thunderstorms, temperatures remained high in several areas of the state.

Jaisalmer recorded the highest temperature at 46.7 degrees Celsius, 5.3 degrees Celsius above normal. It was followed by Barmer (46.1 degrees Celsius), Chittorgarh (45 degrees Celsius), Bikaner (44.9 degrees Celsius), Phalodi (44.2 degrees Celsius), Churu (43.5 degrees Celsius), Ganganagar (43.3 degrees Celsius), Kota (43.2 degrees Celsius), and Udaipur (43 degrees Celsius).

Jaipur recorded a maximum of 40.8 degrees Celsius under clear skies with slight humidity, while the minimum temperature was 28.2 degrees Celsius on Thursday.

--IANS

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