Parts of northern and central India have seen temperatures beyond 50C (120F) as the nation struggles with severe heatwave conditions.
This week, temperatures above 45C (113F) were reported in over 37 places across the nation.
The capital city of Delhi saw a record-breaking 52.3C (126.1F) temperature on Wednesday.
Parts of the city are under a severe heatwave alert, according to India’s weather service.
The judge of a consumer court in Delhi declared it was too hot to hold sessions without air conditioning, so the court halted taking new cases on Tuesday.
With temperatures above 50 °C (120 °F), Churu in the western state of Rajasthan and Sirsa in the northern state of Haryana were two of the country’s hottest locations.
On Tuesday, the city of Jaipur in Rajasthan reported three deaths from heat stroke.
The March through September Indian summers are typically hot and muggy.
However, the nation is expected to see longer and more extreme heatwaves this year, according to the weather service.
Nine to twelve days of heatwaves with 45–50C temperatures were recorded this month in the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat, according to the report.
The head of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, stated this week that June maximum temperatures are anticipated to be above average. He also added that heatwave conditions are predicted to last four to six days in northwest India, as opposed to the three days they typically last.
This year’s monsoon season is expected to be above average nationwide, according to the IMD.
The southern state of Kerala is expected to experience the monsoon on May 31.
