Cyclone Maarutha made a landfall on West Myanmar's Rakhine coast last night, according to a forecast released by the Myanmar Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.

The cyclone swept the Thandwe township and weakened steadily due to interaction with the rugged terrain of the region, according to a Xinhua report.

It passed through capital Nay Pyi Taw, Sagaing, Mandalay, Magway, Bago, Ayerawaddy, Yangon, Rakhine, Shan and Kayah regions and states with a speed of 48- to 56 km/hr.

Heavy rain through the night was expected to have caused flash floods and landslides in the vulnerable areas along the coast and the hilly interiors.

Triggers showers

'Maarutha' has weakened twice over into a deep depression and a depression over Myanmar and is expected to hold over the region on further for 12 hours before it fades out completely.

On its way, 'Maarutha' had triggered thundershowers over coastal Odisha, Vidarbha, South Interior Karnataka and Tamil Nadu from last night into this morning.

It is the first named tropical cyclone that hit the northern hemisphere during the summer even as sizzling heat it is building up over the whole of India.

'Severe heat wave' conditions prevailed over Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and West Rajasthan yesterday.

Heat wave in North

The rest of North-West India, including most places over Rajasthan, many places in Punjab, and a few places over Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, coastal Tamil Nadu, and isolated places in West Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha witnesses 'heat wave' conditions.

Cyclone Maarutha held at bay severe heat wave conditions from entering East India, but with the cyclone dying out, this region would also come under the grip of top heat.

India Met Department saw no big change in prevailing conditions over East India during the next two days and rise in mercury over Bihar, Jharkhand and interior Odisha thereafter.

'Kal Baisakhi' showers

Meanwhile, the Kal Baisakhi season that has set in over East and North-East India will bring thundershowers over this region during the next few days.

The remnant of cyclone Maarutha could add its own bit to the proceedings as thundershowers accompanied with lightning could foray into Bihar as well.

In the South, though, the reoriented winds in cyclone 'Maarutha's wake will take time to settle, which could keep coastal Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh dry for some more days.

Thundershowers are now expected to extend into the region from Kerala from Thursday only, according to India Met Department projectons.

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