48 Degree C & Counting, Indian Summer Shatters Records

New Delhi, May 26 : It's the peak of summer, a time when heat waves are common in most parts of India.

But what the country is currently witnessing is killer heat that has shattered temperature records in many cities and has in its grip an entire swathe from the Jammu region through Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, west UP, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha and north Karnataka, down to Telangana.

Parts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, the Met office says, are in midst of a 'severe' heat wave and temperatures have hit 48 degrees Celsius at several places.

On Tuesday, the maximum temperature in Kota was 48.4 degrees, the highest ever seen in the city in May. Hissar at 48.1 degrees and Ganganagar (also 48.1) also shattered records.


In Madhya Pradesh, Guna experienced a first-time-ever high of 48 degrees on Monday. The same day, Bhopal recorded the highest temperature since Independence when the mercury shot up to 46 degrees.

The rest of state too sizzled with temperatures staying around 47 degrees in Gwalior, Khajuraho, Bhind and Rajgarh. In Maharashtra, Wardha touched 47.7 degrees on Monday.

In Delhi, the Palam station recorded 46.3 degrees on Tuesday even as humidity levels remained above normal, making coolers less effective for this time of the season which usually sees dry heat.

Doctors in the capital said they have been getting around 10-20% more cases of heatstrokes than last year. Ridership in the air-conditioned Metro touched an all-time high of 11.34 lakh on Tuesday while power demand was at a record 4,530 MW.

While a consolidated heat toll wasn't available, it's likely to be pretty high. More than 20 deaths were reported from Rajasthan on Monday alone, while three more are believed to have succumbed to heat in Jaipur on Tuesday.