Mercury touches new high in Uttarakhand

Dehradun, April 1 : Plains in Uttarakhand are in throes of unprecedented heat wave as mercury on Saturday climbed and set new records in the hill state.

According to the Met office, temperatures in Udhamsinghnagar, Pantnagar and Dehradun have broken records set 25 years back.

The temperatures are hovering over 35-36 degrees Celsius in the plains.

Pantnagar which last had the highest temperature of 36.3 degrees Celsius on March 31, 1991, recorded 36.9 degrees Celsius on Friday.

Dehradun continued to singe as the temperature climbed to 35.8 degrees Celsius, another record. The last equivalent temperature was seen in 2001.

Vikram Singh, the Met office director, said the temperatures in most of the plain areas were higher by 6-8 degrees Celsius than the average during this period of the year.

The weatherman has however forecast a slight drop in temperature over the next week as rains are likely to occur in some parts.