Severe heat across North India, Delhi records hottest day with 44 degrees

Delhi witnessing the season's hottest day and Telangana and Odisha together recording 36 more sunstroke deaths even as over a thousand houses were damaged in thunderstorm in Nagaland.

The plains in the north simmered under the blazing sun with Hisar in Haryana being the hottest in the country at 45.5 degrees Celsius. It was followed closely by Banda in Uttar Pradesh at 45.2 degrees.

Heat wave conditions, however, subsided in Bihar, which had a cloudy day, and Gangetic West Bengal, which is likely to be hit by thunderstorms in the next few days.

The national capital sizzled at 44 degrees Celsius, the hottest day of the season so far. The minimum was 23.8 degrees Celsius.

In Telangana, the sunstroke toll since the beginning of this summer climbed to 178 from the last count of 143 reported on Friday as heatwave conditions prevailed in many parts of Khammam and



Karimnagar districts of the state.

"These deaths were confirmed by a three-member committee. Nalgonda district tops the chart with 53 deaths, followed by Mahbubnagar with 33," an official in the disaster management's control room said.

The maximum temperature of 45 degree Celsius was recorded at Ramagundam. Rain occurred at isolated places over the state and Kondurg in Mahabubnagar district received 3cm of rainfall, IMD said.

Odisha reported another heatwave-related death, taking the toll to 14. Mercury soared in western parts of the state with coal town of Talcher recording the maximum of 44.6 degrees.

Jharsuguda was hot at 44.3, followed by Bhawani Patna and Bolangir at 44.2 and Angul at 44.1 degrees. "The number of unconfirmed sunstroke deaths has increased to 140, of which 14 have been confirmed," the Special Relief Commissioner of the state said.