Heat wave claims over 220 lives in AP, Telangana

Down south in A.P., among those who succumbed to the killer heat were 40 persons in Prakasam district and 12 in Visakhapatnam. In Telangana, 28 persons died.

May 24, 2015 02:39 am | Updated November 17, 2021 11:08 am IST - New Delhi:

Vast swathes of the country reeled under the heat wave which has claimed 223 lives in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana even as the scorching sun on Saturday continued to drive the mercury upwards with Delhi recording its hottest day of this season.

While 128 persons died in Telangana, the toll increased to 95 in Andhra Pradesh, where 15 more persons succumbed to the heat wave, senior officials said.

But as Delhiites struggled to cope with the excruciating heat as the maximum on Saturday hit this summer’s highest at 44.5 degrees Celsius, five notches above the normal, the weatherman hinted at the likelihood of some relief in the form of dust storms or thunderstorms tomorrow across northern India.

Although the Safdarjang weather station, which provides the official reading for Delhi, gave a sub-45 degree figure, the Palam weather station in the national capital recorded the mercury at 46.2 degrees. Weather officials, meanwhile, said that relief was on the cards as dust storms and thunderstorms are likely to occur on Sunday in some parts of Delhi.

Down south in A.P., among those who succumbed to the killer heat were 40 persons in Prakasam district and 12 in Visakhapatnam. In Telangana, 28 persons died due to heat wave in Nalgonda district followed by 22 in Karimnagar district, officials said.

The toll for A.P. pertains to the period from May 18 till Friday, while the figures for Telangana cover the duration from April 15 till Friday.

Severe heat wave conditions prevailed over parts of Adilabad, Warangal, Hyderabad, Khammam, Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda, Nizamabad and Karimnagar districts of Telangana.

The heat wave also intensified in Odisha as the mercury inched above the 40-degree mark at 19 places in the State, while three more deaths due to the sweltering conditions were reported on Saturday, taking the toll to 26, said the office of the special relief commissioner.

Titlagarh recorded the highest maximum in the state at 46.2 degrees while Jharsuguda and Bhawanipatna recorded highs of 46 degrees. The Odisha state capital of Bhubaneswar sizzled at 42.7 degrees.

Uttar Pradesh saw the mercury cross the 41 degree mark in most of the districts. Allahabad recorded the highest maximum in the state at 47 degrees. Lucknow saw the maximum touch 44.4 degrees even as weather officials forecast rain at isolated places along with dust storms and thunderstorms accompanied by squalls on Sunday at other areas of the State.

Dust storm Bhiwani in Haryana witnessed a high of 45.2 degrees, four notches higher than the normal, while Hisar saw the maximum go up to 44.7 degrees. The Union Territory of Chandigarh, which was hit by a dust storm this evening, recorded the season’s hottest day so far at 43.4 degrees. In Punjab, Amritsar saw the mercury settle five notches above the normal at 43.6 degrees while Ludhiana sweat it out at 43.5 degrees.

Jaisalmer in Rajasthan recorded the highest maximum at 46.5 degrees followed by Kota with a high of 45.4 degrees as heat wave conditions prevailed at a few places in the Kota and Bikaner divisions and in isolated areas of Jodhpur division.

In West Bengal, hot and humid conditions hit life across the State on Saturday with several places recording over 40 degrees Celsius. One person reportedly died due to the rough weather.

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