Heat wave returns to north east India
More than 60 people have now died as a result of a heat wave which has returned to northern India over the past few days. Temperatures in many regions exceeded 40C (104F), with Sundargarh, Orissa recording a high of 44.9C (113F) on Saturday.
May is one of the hottest months in northern India, with the average maximum temperature hitting 40C (104F) in the first half and 41C (106F) in the second part of the month. Only two weeks ago parts of the north were reeling under extreme heat with widespread temperatures in the mid 40’s.
Despite the mercury rising to almost 45C (113F) in Orissa, eastern India on Saturday, temperatures have yet to exceed the record 47.2C (117F) set in Delhi in May 1944. For many regions across eastern India, there will be little immediate respite, with the Indian Meteorological Department predicting the heat wave to continue over the next 48 hours.
