Weather forecast: IMD predicts thunderstorm, squall over Uttarakhand today; dust storm 'very likely' in Rajasthan

Amid the onset of Southwest Monsoon which is expected to cover the entire country by 10 June , the Indian Meterological Department (IMD) has warned that thunderstorms accompanied by squall and lightning are “very likely” on Tuesday over Uttarakhand. According to a warning bulletin issued by IMD, dust storm at isolated places is very likely over west Rajasthan, while dust storm or thunderstorm is very likely at isolated places over east Rajasthan. Heat wave conditions are very likely to occur at one or two pockets over West Rajasthan. Thunderstorm accompanied with gusty winds and lightning are very likely at isolated places over Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha region, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, central Maharashtra, Marathwada, Konkan region, Goa, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamilnadu, north interior Karnataka and Rayalaseema region (in Andhra Pradesh). [caption id=“attachment_4496115” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Reuters[/caption] In the North East, heavy rainfall is very likely at isolated places in Assam and Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura, according to IMD. The other areas where heavy rainfall is very likely on Tuesday are isolated places over Andaman and Nicobar Islands, south Konkan, Goa, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rayalaseema, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Lakshadweep, and Kerala. According to private weather forecasting agency Skymet Weather, Southwest Monsoon can be expected to further advance into some more parts of Tamil Nadu, Bay of Bengal and northeastern states during the next 24 hours from Monday evening. Skymet Weather also said that a cyclonic circulation over east Madhya Pradesh and adjoining areas would bring light rains over parts of east Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha, Marathwada and many parts of Konkan and Goa and south central Maharashtra. Meanwhile, heat wave conditions have been declared across Kashmir, where the maximum temperature recorded at 34.4 degree Celsius, 8.1 notches above normal on Monday. “When the maximum temperature is more than four degrees above the normal in the hilly areas, we declare a heat wave in those areas. In Kashmir, it has gone up between 6 and 8 degrees in all recording stations of the Valley,” Director of the Meteorological Department Sonam Lotus said. The director said the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir recorded the hottest day of in 2018 so far at 35 degrees Celsius on Sunday. Lotus said there was no respite in sight from the unusually high temperatures in the Valley over the next few days. Mercury rose by a few notches in New Delhi on Monday with the maximum temperature settling at 41.7 degrees Celsius. However, the relative humidity in the evening was 62 percent. In Maharashtra’s Nashik, five people were killed in two separate rain-related incidents as pre-monsoon showers accompanied by thunderstorm and lightning hit the division over the weekend. A woman and her three minor daughters were killed when a tree fell on them in Dhule district, while a man died when lightning struck him in Nashik district on Sunday. Heavy pre-monsoon rains lashed the some tehsils of Nashik district on Saturday and Sunday, causing damage to several houses and crops. Light rains and thunderstorm occurred at isolated places over eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh, while the weather was dry in the western parts, the Met department said, adding that Jhansi was the hottest place in the state at 44.8 degree Celsius. Intense heat conditions continued in parts of Rajasthan where Sriganganagar was recorded as the hottest place with a maximum of 47 degree Celsius followed by Bikaner which recorded 46.6 degree Celsius. Punjab and Haryana too continued to reel under severe heat wave conditions with Narnaul being the hottest place in both the states with a maximum temperature of 45 degree Celsius. The weather agencies have predicted that monsoon will hit Maharashtra and Goa in two days from Monday. Southwest Monsoon, which brings seasonal rains to the Indian subcontinent, arrived in Kerala on 29 May , three days before its scheduled arrival. IMD officials have already asserted that India is likely to receive a "better monsoon" than it did in 2017. With inputs from PTI