Weather Forecast Today Highlights: Cyclone Vayu weakens, heat wave persists in UP

Pre-monsoon rains lashed parts of Rajasthan in the past 24 hours due to the effect of Cyclone Vayu, a meteorological department official said.
However, the monsoon is expected to arrive in the desert state in the first week of July, the official said.

In past 24 hours, Banasthali recorded 17.2 mm of rainfall, followed by 7 mm in Sawai Madhopur, 4.1 mm in Jaipur, 2 mm in Eranpura Road and 1.1 mm in Pilani town of Jhunjhunu district, he said. (PTI)

Light pre-monsoon rains lashed western and central parts of Madhya Pradesh in the last 24
hours, bringing relief to people from the sultry heat, a MeT official said Tuesday.

The monsoon is likely to reach the state by next week, but some light showers occurred in Indore, Gwalior and Bhopal
divisions and some other places in the last 24 hours, he said.

Because of the rains, the maximum temperature in most parts of the state dropped below 40 degrees Celsius, said the
official at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) centre here. (PTI)

People in Karnataka pray for rain

Karnataka: Devotees pray for rain, reciting verses from the Bhagavad Gita at the Prasanna Ganapathi temple in Shivamogga. pic.twitter.com/ZVhytltp9a

— ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2019

Cyclone Vayu has weakened and crossed Gujarat's Kutch district on Tuesday morning, causing rainfall at some places in the state, a MeT official said. Rains are likely to continue till Wednesday in Kutch, Saurashtra and north Gujarat regions because of its impact, she said. "Warning for ports has been lowered, but the advisory for fishermen will continue till Wednesday morning. The low pressure system is going to further weaken," Manorama Mohanty, scientist at the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) Ahmedabad centre said.  (PTI)

As many as 60 tourist vehicles have been stranded in North Sikkim after a cloudburst triggered torrential rain in several areas of the district on Monday. The vehicles got stuck between Lachen and Zema 3 due to the rain, North Sikkim District Collector Raj Yadav said. Earlier, the cloudburst caused rain in the upper reaches of the Teesta river and the Teesta III hydro power project authorities have released 600 cusecs of water from the Chungathang dam, Yadav said. The people of Lachen and Chungthang have been alerted about the situation, he said. (PTI)

Light to moderate showers lashed some parts of Goa on Tuesday morning, making the weather pleasant in the coastal state, the MeT department said. The monsoon, which generally arrives in Goa by first week of June, has got delayed this year and is yet to set in, it said. Light rains were witnessed in parts of North Goa and South Goa districts in the morning, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a bulletin. Rain or thundershowers were likely to continue in some areas of the state for next two days, it said.

According to the weatherman, monsoon is expected to reach the southern parts of Maharashtra and Goa on June 21. Under normal circumstances, monsoon arrives over Maharashtra around June 10. Very good spells of rain are forecast over the parched regions of Marathwada and Vidarbha in the upcoming days, which might bring much-needed respite from both hot conditions and water crisis faced in the regions this summer.

The weatherman said that over 24 hours, till 8.30 am Tuesday, the Safdarjung Observatory, which provides official figures for the city, recorded 10.6 mm of rainfall and a low of 20.6 degrees Celsius, seven notches below normal. Palam recorded 3.8 mm of precipitation and a low of 21.2 degrees Celsius. Humidity levels were recorded at 68 per cent.

Welcome to our live blog. Follow the latest news on the progression of the monsoon, and the prevailing heatwave conditions in the north.