Large parts of north, central and western India reeled under severe heatwave conditions on Tuesday, with temperatures nearing 48 degrees Celsius in Uttar Pradesh, closely followed by Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Odisha. The weather office has issued an orange alert for the coming days.
In Madhya Pradesh's Indore, a four-year-old girl got trapped inside a car for several hours and was later found unconscious. Doctors declared her dead at the hospital. Authorities said she is suspected to have died of suffocation, though the exact cause of death would be known after a post-mortem.
In Uttar Pradesh, Banda emerged as the hottest place in the state at 48.2 degrees Celsius, while temperatures crossed the 40-degree mark in 22 of the state's 75 districts, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Among the hottest places were Jhansi and Agra at 46.5 degrees Celsius each, followed by Prayagraj at 45.8 degrees Celsius and Orai at 45.2 degrees Celsius. Lucknow recorded a maximum temperature of 40.9 degrees Celsius.
The weather office said heatwave to severe heatwave conditions were very likely at many places, including warm night conditions at isolated places across the state. Deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak has directed authorities to make arrangements for the treatment of heatstroke and heat-related patients.
In Punjab and Haryana, maximum temperatures hovered close to the 45-degree mark, with Faridkot recording 47.3 degrees Celsius and Rohtak 46.9 degrees Celsius. Chandigarh recorded 43.2 degrees Celsius, more than four notches above normal.
Heat, air pollution grip Delhi
Delhi recorded its first heatwave day of the month as dry winds and strong sunshine pushed temperatures past 45 degrees Celsius, marking its hottest May day since 2024. The city’s air quality also deteriorated to the “poor” category with an AQI of 208, prompting Stage 1 of the Graded Response Action Plan.
Safdarjung, the city's base weather station, recorded a maximum temperature of 45.1 degrees Celsius, 4.7 notches above normal and 1.7 degrees higher than the previous day, while Ridge emerged as the hottest station in the city at 46.5 degrees Celsius, five notches above normal.
"Heatwave conditions are expected to continue for the next one week. The northwesterly winds are sweeping into the national capital from the Thar Desert region of Rajasthan and parts of central Pakistan since the past few days," said Mahesh Palawat of Skymet Weather.
Palawat said night temperatures have remained high due to intense daytime heating and the absence of thunderstorms or pre-monsoon rainfall activity.
Amid the severe heat, the Delhi government announced that it would distribute special kits containing sattu, ORS, sherbat syrup, prickly heat powder, gamcha and other items among one lakh construction workers.
The government has also converted schools and community halls near AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital, RML Hospital and Lady Hardinge Medical College into temporary summer shelters for attendants of patients spending nights outside hospitals in the sweltering heat.
The shelters, operational from May 15 to July 15, are equipped with beds, coolers, fans, meals, ORS packets, drinking water dispensers and mobile toilets.
Impact on Maharashtra and Odisha
In Maharashtra, most cities in the Vidarbha region were affected, with Amravati recording 46.8 degrees Celsius and Wardha 46.5 degrees Celsius.
"Heatwave conditions this year have been prevailing in many parts of Vidarbha, including Nagpur, over the last seven to eight days. There is no chance of getting any respite from the heat in the coming few days," said Dr Praveen Kumar, scientist at the IMD's Nagpur centre.
Odisha also reeled under intense heatwave conditions, with 21 places recording temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius or above. Jharsuguda was the hottest place in the state at 44.8 degrees Celsius, followed by Hirakud at 44 degrees Celsius, according to the IMD's Bhubaneswar centre.
Angul and Sambalpur recorded 43.6 degrees Celsius each, while Bhubaneswar registered 40.1 degrees Celsius. The weather office forecast thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds in several districts across Odisha during the afternoon or evening hours on Wednesday.
In Himachal Pradesh, Una was the hottest place at 43.4 degrees Celsius, while Neri recorded 41.2 degrees Celsius. The meteorological office issued warnings for heatwave conditions in Kangra and Solan and forecast thunderstorms with gusty winds in parts of the state later this week.
Rajasthan sizzles, double whammy for Jodhpur
In Rajasthan, Chittorgarh was the hottest place at 46.3 degrees Celsius, followed by Sriganganagar at 45.9 degrees Celsius, even as Jodhpur district faced a water crisis due to a delay in releasing water into the Indira Gandhi Canal from Punjab’s Harike Barrage after annual maintenance closure, officials said.
Chief Engineer of Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) Devraj Solanki said the canal was scheduled to reopen on May 11, but repair work in Punjab delayed the release, which began in phases from May 14, with water now expected to reach Jodhpur by the night of May 20 or morning of May 21 to replenish Kaylana Lake and Takht Sagar reservoirs.
Relief measures announced in Andhra Pradesh
The Andhra Pradesh government has directed all urban local bodies to activate emergency measures for the next seven days amid rising heatwave forecasts. MA&UD principal secretary S Suresh Kumar asked municipal commissioners, especially in Central and North Coastal Andhra Pradesh, to ensure protection of vulnerable groups and uninterrupted civic services from May 20 to 26.
He directed the setting up of drinking water facilities at bus stations, markets, labour hubs, hospitals, schools and other public places, along with temporary water kiosks, tanker supply arrangements and cooling shelters in vulnerable areas.
Relief for Bengal
Thunderstorms are likely in parts of Bengal over the next week due to favourable wind patterns and moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal. The sub-Himalayan districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar are likely to receive heavy rainfall from May 22 to 24.
Power demand peaks
India's peak power demand surged to an all-time high of 260.45 GW on Tuesday, mainly due to increased use of cooling devices such as air-conditioners and desert coolers amid intensifying heatwave conditions, according to the power ministry.
"Today, the peak power demand (solar hours) of 260.45 GW was met successfully at 15:40 hrs. This is a new high surpassing yesterday's peak demand (solar hours) of 257.37 GW, which was also successfully met," the Ministry of Power said in a post on social media platform X.