Amritsar/New Delhi, May 31
The blistering heat wave continued to sweep Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh with mercury hovering between 41 and 46°C at many places. In fact, the northern and eastern parts of the country baked at above normal temperatures today due to the scorching summer sun and hot winds.

Chandigarh braved yet another scorching day while hot and humid conditions prevailed in Ludhiana, Patiala, Jalandhar, Amritsar, besides other towns in Punjab.

The intense heat wave that swept the Amritsar region claimed two lives in the past 24 hours. While a woman devotee was found dead at the Golden Temple, the body of an unidentified person was found on a roadside in the city. He died due to intense heat conditions, the police said. The deceased could not be identified so far.

Till now, three persons have lost lives due to the heat wave in the Amritsar area. Amritsar recorded a high of 47.6°C after yesterday’s 47°C. The Met Department has predicted that the temperature may further rise by 1-2°C.

The heat wave has also started affecting human life and crops in the Malwa region in the state. Four heat-related deaths have been reported during the past about one week in the region. Amanjeet Kaur, 47, who had come to Bathinda from Delhi, died this afternoon in the civil hospital due to heat stroke.

With day temperature touching 46.5°C, tender leaves of the fresh cotton plants have also started wilting. The situation is very bad in the districts of Sriganganagar and Hanumangarh of Rajasthan where the residents were facing acute shortage of drinking water.

In Haryana, Hisar, Gurgaon, Bhiwani, Ambala and Rohtak were among the towns that experienced sweltering heat.

The Met office has forecast no immediate relief from the ongoing hot weather conditions in the region.

Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 45.4°C, the highest so far in the season. Today’s maximum, which is 5°C above normal, bettered this summer’s high of 45°C recorded on Wednesday. The minimum also rose 4°C above normal to touch 31.2°C, up from the previous day’s 28.2°C.

The mercury kept on soaring in the desert state of Rajasthan with Churu recording maximum temperature of 48.7°C, highest of the season. Normal life was also affected in Sriganganagar and Bikaner that recorded 47°C and 46.8°C, respectively. Kota, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer recorded day temperatures of 46.3, 45.2, 44 and 43.9°C, respectively.

In Jharkhand, one person died of sunstroke in Latehar district on Wednesday as heat wave swept across the state with most districts recording over 41°C. A labourer, who had gone to cut wood at Jamuna village in Latehar district, collapsed and died after suffering sunstroke. Latehar registered 43.2°C.

With inputs from PK Jaiswar (Amritsar) and SP Sharma (Bathinda)