New Delhi: Heatwave continued to sweep many parts of India on Thursday, taking the toll to at least 130 as temperatures broke records at several places.
As central and peninsular India continued to witness the hottest April in recent years, there is no respite in sight with the weatherman predicting that temperatures would rise by one to two degrees in the next two-three days, particularly in western India, Telangana and Rayalseema. The Met office said pockets of north India too would witness heatwave conditions as days are likely to get hotter by 2-4 degrees in the region, including NCR, over the next two-three days. However, temperatures are expected to come down a notch or two by Sunday, when isolated dust-storms and thundershowers may cool the northern plains, reported The Times of India.
However, no such respite is in the offing for peninsular India and surrounding regions. While 100 people have died in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh due to heat wave conditions, sunstroke has claimed 30 lives in Odisha.
The temperature touched 44° Celsius in three Telangana districts on Thursday, a day after Hyderabad broke a 43-year record with mercury reaching the 43°C level. The Indian Metorological Department (IMD) said the temperature could reach an all-time high figure of 45°C in April.
Independent weather monitoring agency Skymet, too, has warned both Andhra and Telangana of hotter days and a ‘severe heatwave’ ahead. Heatwave warning has been issued for five more days in Nizamabad, Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Nalgonda and other districts.
In Odisha, Cuttack, Khurda, Balasore and Jagatsinghpur have been hit worst with the mercury hovering around 42° for the last 10 days. Most of the deaths were reported from these areas. In Jharkhand, Jamshedpur and Daltonganj were the hottest cities with mercury hovering at 43°C.