Showers lashed parts of northern and eastern India today, ending a prolonged dry spell and reducing the intensity of the searing heat tormenting the regions, but 11 more people died of heatstroke pushing the countrywide toll this summer to more than 1,500.

The southwest monsoon advanced into parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu as the heavens opened up in Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, parts of which received heavy rains.

Pre-monsoon showers provided a welcome break from the gruelling heat in Andhra Pradesh as well, but 11 more people died of sunstroke in the state since Monday evening, taking the statewide toll to 1412.

The heat wave eased in north India as rains cooled Jammu, Punjab and Haryana with the mercury staying two to three degrees below normal at many places.

Ambala in Haryana recorded a high of 37.3°C and Amritsar in Punjab 37.8°C.

Rains accompanied by high-velocity winds lashed Shimla, Sundernagar and Bhuntar in Himachal Pradesh.

But the mercury soared in places in Uttar Pradesh, with Agra recording a maximum of 44°C. Temperatures in Gorakhpur, Allahabad, Lucknow, Varanasi and Faizabad also rose.

West Bengal's capital Kolkata and its suburbs reeled under hot and sultry conditions with the mercury climbing to 36.6°C, three degrees above normal.

Giridhar Gopal adds from Bhubaneswar:

Rainfall in parts of Orissa brought some cheer to residents of this eastern state who have been battling a severe heat wave over the past fortnight.

The meteorological office in Bhubaneswar, however, cautioned that the monsoon is yet to set in.

"We have issued a warning that rain and thundershowers are likely to occur in isolated places in the northern and southern districts of Orissa in the next 24 hours," Mrutunjaya Mohapatra, an official of the met office, told rediff.com "But the heat wave conditions will continue to prevail in some interior parts of the state for the next 24 hours."

Orissa has been reeling under severe heat wave conditions with temperatures rising across its coastal and western districts over the past two weeks. While the temperatures have been in decline since Sunday, the western districts continue to sizzle.

One hundred and sixty-one people have been reported killed across the state so far. The government, however, has confirmed only 16 deaths.

The government has, however, asked all district officials to conduct their offices in the morning till June 20, a top official in the chief minister's office said. Earlier, the government had asked them to do so till June 10.

"The monsoon usually arrives in the state on June 10 and on that basis the state government had set the earlier deadline," the official explained. "But this year it is getting delayed. The met office has not yet announced when it will break."