Dust storms, rain keep temps near normal in Raj, relief likely till May 6

Jaipur: Active western disturbances continued to bring relief from high temperatures through rainfall at many places across the state Saturday. Dust storms, cloud cover and scattered showers kept maximum temperatures close to normal in most regions. The Met office said the ongoing spell of dust storms and rainfall is likely to continue till May 6, with many areas in Jaipur, Bikaner, Ajmer, Kota and Bharatpur divisions expected to receive dust storms and rain.

Jaipur faced abrupt weather conditions throughout the day. People in Jaipur woke up to cloudy conditions in the morning, followed by high-velocity dust storms and rainfall in and around the city. The showers led to a dip in temperatures, with the maximum settling at 38.4°C. Though the cloud cover cleared later in the afternoon, the Met office said similar conditions are likely to prevail Sunday in and around Jaipur.

In the evening, heavy storms started around 8pm accompanied with rainfall. People remained stranded on roads and traffic was standstill. In many areas, trees were uprooted and fell on vehicles especially in Mansarover, Tonk Phatak, Chaura Raasta and other areas in the city. Several areas in the city witnessed distruptions due to fallen trees.

However, no major rainfall activity was witnessed in western Rajasthan, due to which Jaisalmer and Phalodi remained the hottest in the state, recording a maximum temperature of 44.4°C each. Barmer followed at 44.3°C, Bikaner at 43.5°C, Chittorgarh at 43.2°C and Pilani at 42.7°C.

Bikaner recorded the highest rainfall at 12.8 mm, followed by Ajmer at 5.7 mm, Fatehpur at 5.2 mm, Chittorgarh at 4.0 mm, Nagaur at 2.5 mm, Jodhpur at 2.4 mm, Dausa at 2.0 mm and Jaipur at 1.8 mm.

In its forecast, the Met office said partly cloudy conditions are likely, with a possibility of rainfall at many places in Jaipur, Bikaner, Bharatpur, Ajmer and Kota divisions. Gusty winds with speeds of 30-40 kmph are also likely at several locations.