Delhi: Even as intense heat wave scorched northern states of India with Palodhi in Rajasthan sizzling at 50.5 degrees Celsius and Odisha reporting one more sunstroke death on Wednesday, an orange alert was declared in New Delhi after the capital touched 47 degrees today.
The Palam observatory, however, recorded mercury at 46.4 degrees. The minimum temperature in the city was 26.4 degrees.
The Met department has asked people to take precautions against the heat wave, as per media reports.
Meanwhile, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation today issued a red alert for two days.
They they also cautioned citizens to stay indoors to avoid heat stroke.
They had issued an orange alert earlier.
In Rajasthan, apart from Palodhi, Churu recorded 49.1 temperature, Jaisalmer 48.8 and Barmer at 48.6 degrees.
On the other hand, Odisha reported another sunstroke death, taking the toll to 19. Sonepur was the hottest place in the state at 41.4 degrees.
And in Uttarakhand, forest fires were reignited by soaring temperatures and dry weather. 180 hectares of forest land spread over 111 places in the district are in flames, Uttarkashi District Magistrate Shridhar Babu Addanki said, as per PTI.
Mercury hovered above 40 degrees mark in Punjab and Haryana with Hisar being the hottest in the two states at 46.8 degrees. Banda in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh sizzled at 47 degrees.
IMD has issued "severe heat wave" warning for Gujarat, west and east Rajasthan, west and east Uttar Pradesh, Vidarbha, west and east Madhya Pradesh for the next three days.
"Heat wave conditions continued to prevail at most places with severe heat wave at a few places over west Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and at isolated places over Haryana and Delhi, east Rajasthan, east Uttar Pradesh and central Maharashtra," the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
But for Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry, the MeT department had issued a "very heavy rainfall" warning for the next two days.
In Assam, continuous heavy rains for the last three days triggered landslides that claimed 10 lives in Karimganj and Hailakandi districts in Barak Valley.
Parts of Tamil Nadu received rains for the third day today even as the MeT office said the deep depression in the Bay of Bengal is expected to intensify into a cyclonic storm in the next two days, bringing heavy rains in north coastal areas of the state and Puducherry.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has directed all district Collectors to take precautionary measures in view of cyclone threat to southern and northern parts of the state.
(With Agency inputs)
