Jammu, Jul 06: Monsoon showers lashed Jammu on Saturday providing relief to the people from the sweltering heat as the mercury dipped several degrees below the season’s average for the first time in the last fortnight.
Jammu recorded 7.6 mm rain during the day as people came out in large numbers to get drenched in the showers which brought the maximum down to 34.4 degrees Celsius– 1.5 degrees below normal during this time of the season.
The city had recorded 1.2 mm rainfall around midnight on Friday while the overcast conditions led to marginal increase in the minimum temperature which settled at 24.2 degrees Celsius, still 1.5 notches below the season’s average, a spokesperson of the MeT office said.
Jammu had witnessed blistering heat over the last month due to shortfall in pre-moon showers with temperature mostly hovering above 40 degrees Celsius.
The city had recorded its hottest day on June 10 when the maximum temperature soared to 44.4 degrees Celsius.
Director of state meteorological department Sonam Lotus said monsoon usually arrives in Jammu and Kashmir in the last week of June.
“The wait is over and finally monsoon hit Jammu on Friday night,” he said, forecasting frequent showers in the coming days.
The mercury also dipped in Srinagar as the maximum temperature settled at 28.1 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature at 17.7 degrees Celsius after overnight rain, the spokesperson said.
He said the city witnessed a drop of four degrees in the day temperature, which was 1.5 degrees below normal during this time of the season.
Katra, the base camp for pilgrims visiting the famous Vaishno Devi shrine, recorded a high of 31.7 degrees Celsius and a low of 25.3 degrees Celcius, while Leh town in Ladakh region witnessed a maximum of 19.7 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 11.4 degrees Celsius, the spokesperson said.
