Light, rain, winds bring down mercury in Haryana, Punjab

Light rain at isolated places and gusty winds on Thursday brought slight relief from the scorching heat in Punjab and Haryana as maximum temperatures settled below the 40-degree mark at many places.

Chandigarh, which received light shower, recorded a maximum temperature of 37.5 degrees Celsius, one notch below normal limits, the meteorological department said here.

In Haryana, Karnal recorded a high of 35.4 degrees Celsius, down four notches while Ambala registered a maximum temperature of 36.6 degrees Celsius, three degrees below normal.  Narnaul and Hisar, however, continued to sizzle recording respective maximums of 43.8 degrees Celsius and 44.1 degrees Celsius, though the mercury dropped by a couple of notches in comparison with temperatures recorded in these two towns over the past two days.

Amritsar, Ludhiana and Patiala in Punjab recorded below-normal maximum temperatures of 38.8 degrees Celsius, 38.7 degrees Celsius and 37.9 degrees Celsius respectively.