Mercury continued to soar today across the country claiming two more lives in Odisha which recorded the highest temperature of 48.5 degrees Celsius in Titlagarh while rains wreaked havoc in Arunachal Pradesh, where the death toll from landslides climbed to 19.
The unrelenting sun unleashed misery on the people of Jharkhand and Telangana, where 49 people have lost their lives.
For Delhiites, it was comparatively less hot in the national capital as the mercury settled below normal levels.
The maximum temperature was recorded at 36.8 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season's average while the minimum temperature settled at 23 degrees, normal for this time of the year, said a Met department official.
The drop in temperature is because of a Western disturbance prevailing over the northern region for the last four days.
The humidity in air remained on the lower side and oscillated between 56 and 13 per cent.
In Arunachal Pradesh, at least two persons were killed and several dwellings damaged in fresh landslides triggered by rains in Tawang district, raising the toll to 19.
While a person drowned at Jengthu River in Namsai district on April 17 last, 16 people were killed in a massive landslide triggered by incessant rains at Phamla village in Tawang yesterday.
In view of the prevailing heat wave condition in Odisha, the state government has issued an advisory asking people to remain indoors between 11 AM and 3 PM.
The state government confirmed two more sunstroke deaths taking the official death toll due to heat related incidents to four.
Of the four sunstroke deaths, three were reported from Angul district and one from Bolangir, a SRC official said.
"Titlagarh in Odisha's Bolangir district is the hottest place in the country with the mercury reaching 48 degree C," IMD director Sarat Sahu told PTI.
Titlagarh was followed by Talcher (46.8) and Sonepur (46)in western Odisha.
Though nine towns in the state experienced temperatures above 44 deg C yesterday, it has now increased to 15 places in the state. A total of 18 towns and cities reeled under the heat with temperature above 40 degree C.
The places which recorded temperature above 44 degree C were: Balasore (44.2), Baripada (45.3), Sambalpur (45), Sundergarh (44), Hirakud (44.3), Talcher (46.8), Bhawanipatna (45), Bolangir (45.2), Malkangiri (44.2), Sonepur (46) and Titlagarh (48).
Bhubaneswar recorded 41.5 deg C with relative humidity at 92 per cent.
In West Bengal, severe heat wave prevailed in the western
districts with Bankura recording the maximum at 47 degrees Celsius.
Severe heat wave gripped Birbhum (44 degrees), Burdwan (42.3 degrees) and West Midnapur district (45 deg C) while Nadia, Murshidabad, Howrah, Purulia districts witnessed 43 deg Celsius.
Asansol and Sriniketan recorded 44 degrees and it was 43 degrees in Krishnanagar and 39 degrees Celsius in Malda.
Kolkata recorded a maximum of 38.5 degrees c while neighbouring Dumdum saw temperature rise to 40.6 degrees C, the Met office said.
In neighbouring Jharkhand, Jamshedpur recorded a high of 45.8 degree C, six degrees above normal.
With 41.5 degree C, Ranchi continued to sizzle while heat wave conditions continued in Palamau (43.8 degree C), Giridih (43), Latehar (42), Lohardga (42), Simdega (42) and Khunti (41), the MeT said.
Sahibganj in the Santhal Pargana region experienced 39 degree C.
In Telangana, heat wave has so far claimed 49 lives and there seems no respite from soaring mercury as the hot weather is likely to prevail at few places in the state for at least two days, a Disaster Management department official said.
"Till yesterday, we have reports that 49 persons died due to heat wave in the state (during this summer season)," the official told
