Heatwave to scorch 10+ states across North and Central India till May 26

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A woman covers her face while walking along a road amid dusty winds and scorching heat during a heatwave, in Prayagraj, Monday, May 18, 2026. (PTI Photo)North India is reeling under severe heatwave conditions, with Delhi recording its warmest night in May in almost 14 years on Wednesday.An orange alert has been sounded for the capital city as the maximum temperature is likely to hit 46 degrees Celsius.Which are the places facing heatwave conditions?Apart from Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh are also likely to bake under heatwave conditions on Thursday (May 21) and then Sunday (May 24) to Tuesday (May 26), the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a bulletin.West Uttar Pradesh, East Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, Telangana, Odisha, Bihar, Rajasthan, and isolated pockets over Vidarbha, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand will also feel the scorching heat over the next few days.Warm nights and hot and humid conditionsMeanwhile, warm night conditions are likely to prevail in isolated pockets over Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and Vidarbha on Thursday, while Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal will experience hot and humid conditions. The same will prevail in Gangetic West Bengal and Odisha till Sunday.Rainfall in East and northeast IndiaHowever, IMD has forecast widespread rainfall in northeastern, eastern, and peninsular India. Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura are bracing for scattered to widespread light to moderate rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorms, on  Thursday.Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura are likely to get rains for the next few days too.Story continues below this adSimilarly, IMD has predicted rains for Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Gangetic West Bengal, Sikkim, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.