A pre-monsoon heatwave continues to affect parts of India and Pakistan. Temperatures on Tuesday widely reached the mid-forties, with 48C recorded in Sibi, Pakistan, 47C in Daltonganj, northeast India and 45C in the capital New Delhi. Wednesday’s highest temperatures were 47.5 C in Nawabshah, Pakistan, 47C in Daltonganj, and 46C in both Raipur and Nagpur.

Met Office Global Model mean sea level pressure and temperature for 28 May

The heat has been affecting this part of Asia for the last two weeks and continues to cause significant health and infrastructure problems. There are reports that over 1000 people have died, with the majority of those in Andhra Pradesh where humidity has been one of the primary issues, leading to heat stress. The prolonged nature of the heat, with exceptionally high overnight temperatures, has meant there has been no respite.

These hot conditions are expected to persist for the rest of this week, though some pre-monsoonal showers in the south may cool things a little. It then looks likely that temperatures will begin to return towards more normal values next week.

Hot, dry conditions often precede the Southwest Indian Monsoon at this time of year, but the monsoon is currently still to the south of India and Sri Lanka.