INDORE: Severe heat has gripped western parts of Madhya Pradesh, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing an 'orange alert' for Indore, Ujjain and other districts in the region.
Residents found no respite even in the mornings or at night, as minimum temperatures hovered around 30 degrees Celsius, and roads lay deserted in the afternoon.
Most parts of the state, barring south-east MP, were likely to record maximum temperatures between 42 and 45 degrees Celsius over the next one to two days, meteorologist HS Pandey said.
Indore recorded a minimum temperature of 30 degrees Celsius on Thursday, 5.7 degrees above normal, as per the IMD data, marking the second consecutive day when the city's minimum temperature touched the 30-degree Celsius mark.
On Wednesday, Madhya Pradesh's financial capital logged a minimum temperature of 30.2 degrees Celsius.
"A large part of western Madhya Pradesh remains in the heat zone. An orange alert has been issued for the next 24 hours for Indore, Ratlam, Ujjain, Dhar, Dewas and Guna districts," Pandey said.
People in these districts are advised to remain cautious and take necessary precautions in view of the extreme heat, he said.
On Thursday, Jabalpur logged a minimum temperature of 29.5 degrees Celsius, followed by Narmadapuram at 29.4 deg Celsius, Ujjain recorded 29.2 deg Celsius, Bhopal 28.9 deg Celsius, Guna and Satna 28.7 deg Celsius, Ratlam 28.6 deg Celsius and Sagar registered 27.9 deg Celsius, as per the IMD data.