Heat wave conditions sweeping large parts of the country worsened, killing three persons in Madhya Pradesh, while Nagpur on Tuesday witnessed its hottest day in six decades at a sizzling 47.8 degrees Celsius.
Sriganganagar in Rajasthan, with a blistering 47.5 degrees Celsius, was hottest place in the country after Nagpur, which recorded the highest temperature in 59 years.
There seem to be no immediate respite from the prevailing severe heat wave in North India, where temperatures in most places have crossed 45 degrees, four notches above the normal level. The Met on Tuesday predicted that severe heat wave would prevail across parts of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Vidarbha and the Western Madhya Pradesh over the next 72 hours. The heat wave would also prevail over South Uttar Pradesh, East Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and interior Odisha during the next 48 hours. Delhi also witnessed its hottest day of the season and mercury crossed the 45 degree-mark to settle at 45.1 degrees Celsius.
While the minimum temperature in the capital stood at 28 degrees, the maximum and minimum humidity levels were 52 and 16 per cent respectively.
The heat wave claimed three lives in Madhya Pradesh during past 24 hours.
While a 50-year-old man and a youth died in Sagar district yesterday, a trainee constable succumbed to heat stroke at the police training school in Gwalior.
Khajuraho remained the hottest in the state on Monday with a day temperature of 46.7 degrees Celsius, while Bhopal sweltered at 44.3 degrees, Met officials said.
There was no respite from the scorching sun in Punjab and Haryana also, and the maximum temperature at various places settled above 45 degrees.
While Ludhiana was hottest in the region with a maximum of 46.3 degrees, mercury in Chandigarh, which recorded season’s highest on Monday, settled at 42.9 degrees Celsius.
Rajasthan also continued to remain in the grip of sizzling heat and day temperatures at several places hovered above 44 degrees Celsius.
Sriganganagar was the hottest with a maximum of 47.5 degrees Celsius, followed by Bikaner with a maximum of 45.6 degrees, the Met department said.
Normal life took a hit in Uttar Pradesh also, where Banda in the Bundelkhand division was the hottest with a searing 46.8 degrees Celsius.
While Ludhiana was hottest in Punjab with a maximum of 46.3 degrees, seven notches above normal, Amritsar and Patiala recorded maximum of 46.1 and 44.7 degrees respectively.
Similarly, Hisar in Haryana sweltered at 46.2 degrees Celsius and temperatures in Narnaul and Bhiwani recorded highs of 45.6 and 44.5 degrees Celsius.
Temperature in Karnal and Ambala stood at 43 degrees Celsius.