The regional meteorological department (RMD) was bang on target when it predicted severe heat-wave conditions would prevail across
Vidarbha this week. The maximum temperature in Nagpur on Friday was 47.4° Celsius. This is the highest temperature recorded in May in the last 53 years, taking the mercury to record heights for the third day in a row.
The highest temperature recorded in May was in 1956, when the mercury read 47.8° Celsius. On Friday, the first day of May, the temperature is already at 47.4, hinting at higher temperatures in the future. The department too has predicted that such heat-wave conditions will prevail for another 24 hours, and the temperature may remain above 47° Celsius.
A similar situation prevails in Vidarbha, with the maximum temperature hovering over the 40° mark. In some places, the maximum temperature is almost as much as it is in Nagpur. These include stations like Chandrapur, where the maximum temperature on Friday was 46.8° and Bramhapuri, where the temperature was 46.1°. The maximum temperature recorded in other cities is as follows: Wardha 44.6, Amravati 43, Gondia 44.3, Buldhana 40.4, Akola 44.8, Washim 43.8 and Yavatmal 44.4° Celsius.