Parts of north and central India were in the grip of heat wave conditions Saturday as the country's capital New Delhi witnessed the hottest day of the season with the mercury soaring to 44.5 degrees Celsius, according to Indo- Asian News Service.

A Rajasthan town recorded 48 degrees.

In the capital, the maximum temperature was 5 degrees above normal and was up from 43.8 degrees a day before. The minimum temperature was 23.8 degrees Celsius, one degree below normal.

Meteorological officials warned the heat wave conditions would continue for the next 48 hours.

People in New Delhi mainly remained indoors and public places like the India Gate and Jantar Mantar attracted fewer crowds in the daytime.

The situation in other major north Indian cities was no different. While Jaipur recorded a maximum temperature of 44 degrees, mercury touched 41.4 degrees in Chandigarh. The city recorded a minimum of 28.6 degrees, 7 degrees above normal.

Sriganganagar in Rajasthan recorded a blistering 48 degrees. The heat wave intensified in Uttar Pradesh, too, with the mercury climbing to 46 degrees in Jhansi and the pradesh recording five deaths.

In Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal, the temperature touched the 43.4 degrees mark, a clear four degrees above normal. While Lucknow recorded a maximum of 40.5 degrees, Nagpur recorded 42 degrees.

Source: Xinhua