Heat wave has Amritsar reeling

Amritsar, Apr 11 (ANI): With the mercury soaring above the 40 degrees Celsius mark, Amritsar is reeling under severe heat wave conditions since Saturday.

"We are facing lots of problem. It (weather) has become very hot. The heat we used to experience in the month of May, we are experiencing it in the month of April. During afternoons it is very difficult to come out (of houses) due to the blazing sun. We used to experience such heat in May and June but now we are experiencing it in April," said Deepak Sharma, resident of the city.

In New Delhi, the maximum temperature rose to 40.5 degree Celsius, five degrees above normal.

The temperature rose to 41 degrees in Kolkata. Jharsuguda in Orissa recorded highest temperature of 45 degrees..

Rajasthan also witnessed severe heatwave conditions with Churu remaining the hottest place with a maximum of over 43.3 degrees followed by Sriganganagar at 43.2 degrees.

In Haryana, the maximum rose by up to eight notches above normal with Hisar sizzling at 42.7 degrees.

Meteorologists say that over the years the average temperatures have been rising, attributed mainly to global warming. (ANI)