Heat wave continued unabated in north India as temperatures stayed well over the 40 �Celsius mark on the longest day of the year on Tuesday.

Three persons succumbed to heat strokes in Bathinda district of Punjab, while two died in Faridabad district of Haryana in the past two days, reports said.

Though maximum temperatures dropped by a degree at many places in the region since Monday, the power-cuts at many places in Punjab and Haryana added to the miseries of the people.

Amritsar [Images] braved intense heat as temperatures touched 44.2 �C, four degrees above normal.

According to the Meteorological Department in Punjab, Patiala recorded a high of 42.6 �C, while the high at Ludhiana was 43.4 �C, up two degrees.

Chandigarh recorded a high of 43.2 �C.

Shimla continued to be unusually warm for this part of the year recording a maximum at 30 �C.

The Met has forecast rain or thundershowers at a few places in Himachal Pradesh, while dust storm or thunder storms with light rain is possible at isolated places in Punjab and Haryana over the next two days.