Jaipur: Cloudy skies and northerly winds brought brief relief from rising heat across Rajasthan Tuesday.The Meteorological Centre in Jaipur issued a fresh rain alert predicting thunderstorms, gusty winds and possible hail activity in several parts of the state during the midweek. According to the Met office, a fresh western disturbance coupled with an active upper-air cyclonic circulation is likely to trigger significant weather changes from Wednesday to Friday. The dept has forecast gusty winds reaching speeds of 40–50 km per hour, accompanied by light to moderate rainfall in many regions. Officials said isolated hailstorms are also likely at a few places in divisions, including Jodhpur, Bikaner, Ajmer, Jaipur, Bharatpur and Kota, during this period. The cloudy conditions already had a visible impact on temperatures across the state, with several cities recording day temperatures slightly below the seasonal average. In Jaipur, residents woke up to an overcast sky and a comparatively pleasant morning. The city recorded a minimum temperature of 19.1°C, while the maximum temperature settled at 32.3°C during the afternoon. Despite the persistent cloud cover, no rainfall was recorded in the state capital during the day. Across the state, Chittorgarh remained the hottest place with a maximum temperature of 38.0°C, followed by Barmer at 36.9°C and Kota at 36.8°C. Other major cities recorded comparatively moderate temperatures, with Jaisalmer registering 33.5°C, Ajmer 33.0°C, and Alwar and Bikaner around 31.3°C, and a maximum temperature of 28.5°C was recorded at Sriganganagar. Meteorological officials said relative humidity levels also varied significantly across the state. In Jaipur, humidity was recorded at 65% in the morning, which dropped to around 26% by the evening. The Met office in its forecast said that strong winds, lightning activity and rainfall are likely in the next 24 hours at many places in Jaipur, Bikaner, Jodhpur and Bharatpur divisions of the state.
