Dust storms, rain darken Delhi afternoon... lighten Delhiites spirits

New Delhi/ Lucknow/ Chandigarh: A dust storm, with winds gusting up to 70 kmph, hit the national Capital on Saturday evening, bringing some relief from the searing heat. The weatherman said that rain was witnessed in many areas.

The dust storm pushed the temperature down by a few notches on what was a sultry day. The city recorded a high of 40.5 degrees Celsius and a low of 30 degrees Celsius, according to the MeT office. The humidity levels were recorded at 71 per cent.

In Uttar Pradesh, as many as 26 people were killed due to dust storms and lightning strikes, an official spokesman said on Saturday. Dust storms and lightning hit places in 11 districts of the state, resulting in the death of 26 people, he said.

While five deaths each were reported from Jaunpur and Sultanpur, four died in Unnao, three each died in Chandauli and Bahraich, two in Rae Bareli and one each in Mirzapur, Sitapur, Amethi and Pratapgarh, the spokesman said. Kannauj district was also affected by a dust storm but no casualty was reported from there, he said.

Ambala, Haryana, which was lashed by a heavy downpour, recorded a high of 31.9 degrees Celsius, seven notches below normal, while Amritsar, Punjab, received rains and recorded a high of 31.7 degrees Celsius, down nine notches against the normal limit. Chandigarh, the common capital of Punjab and Haryana, received rains earlier in the day and recorded a high of 33.8 degrees Celsius, down five notches against normal limits, the MeT department said. The weather office has warned that thunderstorms, accompanied by gusty winds, are "very likely" at places in Delhi, UP and other parts of northern India on Sunday.