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| Drizzle brings relief from soaring mercury | | Humidity adds to misery as Jammu sweats it out | |
ARTEEV SHARMA
ET REPORT
JAMMU, May 27: Jammu region heaved a sigh of relief when late-evening drizzle in several parts today brought some respite to the people tormented by the searing heat waves.
Light rains, coupled with thunderstorm and lightening, were witnessed in several parts of the region. People were seen coming out of their homes to enjoy and witness the drizzle, even as it was not enough to bring down the soaring mercury.
As a precaution, the state Power Development Department (PDD) stopped power supply in the city with the beginning of thunderstorm and showers. But due to damages caused to electric wires, poles and transformers, power supply could not be restored even by late night in many parts of the region despite the massive efforts of repairing.
In the meantime, reports from different parts of the region said that the thunderstorm not only uprooted a number of trees but also disrupted power supply and telephone services in several areas.
However, even though the temperature broke no records, a maximum humidity of almost 40 per cent contributed to making the day extremely hot and uncomfortable for the people.
The maximum temperature touched 44.2 degrees Celsius, four degrees above normal, while the minimum was 23.5 degrees Celsius.
Dr MK Khushu, Chief Scientist Agrometeorology, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) Jammu, said, "The soaring mercury witnessed slight downward trend and it was recorded at 44.2 degree Celsius while the minimum temperature was 23.5 deg C. But the relative humidity made the sun strokes virtually unbearable."
"The highest relative humidity was recorded at 41 per cent while lowest was 17 per cent in daytime and 30 per cent during evening hours which virtually made situation unbearable and uncomfortable," the chief scientist informed, adding that yesterday he lowest relative humidity was 9 per cent.
The Met officials however said that the high minimum temperature also led to the day being highly uncomfortable.
"Generally, there is some respite in the morning hours since the minimum temperatures are low. However, with the minimum temperature in several parts of the region hovering above 30 degrees, the day seemed double hotter," they maintained.
Rajeev Sharma, a businessman said, "On Thursday, I had to drive my sister for an interview in the afternoon. It was a harrowing time on bike as harsh sun strokes forced me to take rest thrice en route before I reached the venue. We sat in the waiting room for an hour under a fan and were completely drenched in sweat. We finally left the venue with a headache."
Reports from different district headquarters including Udhampur, Katra and Samba said that light rains coupled with thunderstorm and lighting gripped their respective district late this evening and light showers provided a great relief to the people from harsh heat waves.
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