New Delhi: The ongoing heatwave will last till around April 27-28 across parts of northwest and central India but abate in the days to come, the India Meteorological Department announced in a press release on Monday. Temperatures across many parts of the country have ranged between 40-46 degrees Celsius, with Akola in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region recording the highest maximum temperature of 46.9 degrees Celsius on April 27.Power demand across the country, meanwhile, surged to a record high, reaching 256 gigawatts on Saturday: a peak that usually hits only in June-July, as per some reports.Reports of the first heat-related deaths of the year have also come in over the past few days. Two school teachers died in Odisha due to sunstroke while they were conducting Census-related work on April 24 and 25; according to another report, at least four people died on voting day in West Bengal on April 23. Maharashtra, meanwhile, has confirmed 31 cases of heatstroke already, and one suspected death as well.Heatwave persists across countryMany parts of India including the central and northwest regions have been witnessing heatwaves, as well as hot and humid weather, since around mid-April, per the IMD. In a press release on April 27, the IMD announced that the current heatwave ongoing across several parts of India will last till April 27 in northwest India, and till April 28 across parts of central India.The heatwave is then expected to abate in the days to come. Per the IMD, temperatures across many parts of the country have ranged between 40-46 degrees Celsius, with Akola in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region recording the highest maximum temperature of 46.9 degrees Celsius on April 27. Maharashtra will continue to witness high maximum temperatures until April 29, and Gujarat until April 28.The IMD on April 27 also issued warnings pertaining to heat waves, hot and humid weather, and warm night conditions for several parts of India. Heat wave conditions are “very likely” in some parts of Vidarbha on April 27 and 28, as well as in isolated pockets of Jammu-Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, western Madhya Pradesh and eastern Rajasthan on April 27; and in western Rajasthan, Odisha, Gujarat, Rayalaseema, Chhattisgarh and north Telangana on April 27 and 28.Hot and humid weather conditions, meanwhile, are “very likely” in some parts of the Konkan coast and Kerala in the next two days, as well as in the coastal areas of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu from April 27-29, and Odisha from April 27 to May 1.Warm night conditions are also “very likely” in parts of Haryana Chandigarh, eastern Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh on April 27, and western Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh on April 27 and 28.Delhi to witness two more days of high temperaturesIn Delhi, maximum temperatures were in the range of 42-43° C while minimum temperatures ranged between 24-26° C between April 26-27. The maximum temperatures were “appreciably above normal” (3.1°C to 5.0°C) over many places in the region and “above normal” (1.6°C to 3.0°C) over the remaining parts of Delhi, per the IMD. Maximum temperatures will remain between 42-41 degrees Celsius in the city for the next two days, while thundershowers later on in the week may bring temporary relief to residents.“Heat wave conditions are expected” and “temperatures are likely to remain above normal”, the IMD said on April 27. “There may be moderate health risks, particularly for vulnerable groups such as infants, the elderly, and individuals with chronic illnesses.”It also issued an advisory that people should avoid prolonged exposure to heat, wear lightweight, light-colored, and loose cotton clothing and that they cover their head using a cloth, hat, or umbrella when outdoors.First heat-related deaths of 2026 recordedSome of the first heat-related deaths of the year have also been recorded over the past few days.According to PTI, two school teachers died in Odisha’s Sundargarh and Mayurbhanj districts on Saturday (April 25) and Sunday (April 26) respectively, due to sunstroke while they were going about their door-to-door work for the ongoing Census enumeration. According to the report, the state government has issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Census officials working in extreme heat conditions, which prohibits fieldwork between 11 am and 3 pm and advises officials to stay hydrated and carry Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) during duty.As per a Times of India report dated April 24, at least four voters died in West Bengal in the first phase of the elections in the state on Thursday. Two of these deaths occurred in the Keshpur Assembly constituency in West Midnapore. According to officials, the regional meteorological department had issued an orange alert for a heatwave or hot and humid weather conditions for a few districts before voting day.Maharashtra, which is also experiencing a heat wave currently, has reported 31 confirmed heatstroke cases between March 1 and April 19 this year, along with one suspected death due to heatstroke in Ahilyanagar district, as per a report by Hindustan Times. The deceased was 45-year-old Harshada Chaudhary, a farmer from the village of Dhavalpuri in Parner taluk, who collapsed in her field while cutting fodder in the afternoon. The Lokmat Times also reported of the death of a nine-month-old infant due to heatstroke in Latur district in the state; the incident allegedly occurred as the infant slept in her low-roofed tin house on April 19 and did not wake up.Power demand surges to record highThe power demand across the country, meanwhile, surged to a record high.On Friday (April 24), peak demand rose to 252 gigawatts (GW), surpassing the previous high of 251 GW in May 2024, according to data from India’s national grid operator, the Grid Controller of India Ltd, Mint reported. This rose again on Saturday, to an all-time high of 256 GW. The number is far higher than the estimate predicted by Grid India in its weekly forecast for April 20-26 April (239.5 GW).Per the report, these levels of power demand are unusually high for the month; India’s energy needs usually hit these levels only in June-July when the summer usually hits parts of northern India in full swing. The report quoted Alekhya Datta, Director, Electricity and Renewables Division, at Delhi’s The Energy and Resources Institute, as saying that this surge in demand has been driven largely by cooling needs as people run cooling appliances in their homes.According to Reuters, Grid-India data showed that India operated about 9.6 GW of gas-fired capacity and ramped up coal-fired generation to around 187 GW to meet the surge in power demands.