<br/> Even as the Met office expect the monsoon to resume in central parts of the country in next two to three days after a break for several days, severe heat wave conditions continue to prevail in most parts of northern India. Orai in Uttar Pradesh was the hottest region at 47.2 degree Celsius. The searing heat has claimed 25 lives in the state in the last couple of days.<br/>In Madhya Pradesh, the mercury hovered above the 40 degree mark with Gwalior recording a maximum of 45 degrees.<br/>In Rajasthan the minimum temperature remained above normal in most parts with Jaipur recording the minimum of 31.8 degrees, five notches above normal. However the weatherman expressed hopes of abatement of prolonged heat wave during the next 24 hours in the state.<br/>Light rains and hailstorm lashed parts of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh bringing much needed respite from the sweltering heat. The mercury touched 38.2 degrees in Chandigarh while Patiala in Punjab recorded a maximum of 39.9 degrees. <br/>The national capital also continues to be under the grip of sweltering heat with the maximum temperature settling five degrees above normal at 43.6 degree Celsius. The city experienced high humidity levels which oscillated between 51 and 20 percent. <br/> In Uttar Pradesh, the searing heat continues unabated even as some eastern districts have received mild rainfall. Orai remained the hottest place yesterday where the mercury shot up to 47.2 degrees. The humidity has also increased to 85 percent. Our Gorakhpur correspondent reports that the mild shower is continuing in several eastern districts bringing down the temperature up to 5 degrees below normal.<br/>