Bengaluru: Indians will have to put up with the intense ongoing heatwave for around four more days, per the India Meteorological Department (IMD). On May 25 and 26, it issued multiple red, orange and yellow heatwave warnings for most parts of the country.It’s currently a scorching 43-47 degrees Celsius in most parts of northwest and central India, Uttar Pradesh, and parts of the eastern and northern peninsular India (the Deccan). Most other parts of India, meanwhile, are burning at 40-43 degrees Celsius – except for parts of the western Himalaya, northeast India and western south India.Per the IMD’s May 26 bulletin, Banda in Uttar Pradesh and Brahmapuri in Maharashtra recorded the highest maximum temperatures for May 25, at 47.6 degrees Celsius.While water scarcities in many of these regions are aggravating the impacts of the heatwave, scientists warn that India is likely to witness Heatwave warningsThe IMD’s bulletins on May 25 and 26 show most parts of India still very much in the grip of an intense heatwave. On Monday, May 25, it issued multiple heatwave warnings – red, orange and yellow – for many parts of India. Most parts of northwest and central India, Uttar Pradesh, parts of the eastern and northern peninsular India (the Deccan) – are all flagged with orange and red alerts on May 25 and 26. The red alert then reduces to fewer areas (parts of Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh) on May 27. The IMD has issued orange and yellow heatwave warnings for most of these parts of northwest and central and eastern India for May 28. For May 30, the IMD has issued a warning (yellow) for only some parts of Rajasthan. With this, the heatwave is expected to subside by May 31.Yellow alerts are for areas that are expected to experience moderate temperatures, where the heat is tolerable for the general public but can be of “moderate health concern” for vulnerable sections such as infants, the elderly, and people with chronic diseases. Orange alerts are for areas that could witness high temperatures, and an increased likelihood of symptoms of heat-related illnesses in people who are either exposed to sun for a prolonged period or do heavy work. In such areas, there are ‘high health concerns’ for vulnerable people.Red alerts, the gravest alert level per the IMD, is for areas where all people regardless of age will experience a very high likelihood of heat-related illnesses and heat strokes.Heatwave warning alerts – yellow, orange and red – for India, published by the IMD on May 26, 2026 for the same day.The warnings disappear for most of India, or decrease to yellow alerts for some regions such as the Indo-Gangetic plain, on May 31 and June 1, as per IMD’s bulletin of May 26.Heatwave warnings disappear over most of India on May 31 and June 1, as per IMD’s bulletin of May 26, 2026.Hot, burning redPer the IMD’s statement on May 25, heat wave conditions will occur in some parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh from May 25 to 28; in parts of Rajasthan from May 25 to 30, Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha region in Maharashtra from May 25-29.,Severe heat conditions, meanwhile, could hit some areas in Punjab on May 26 and 26; Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and some parts of Uttar Pradesh from May 25 to 27. Some isolated pockets of western Rajasthan, eastern Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha could witness such conditions from May 25-28.Between May 25 and 28, heatwave conditions will prevail for varying durations over parts of Chhattisgarh, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, Telangana, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.In its bulletin on May 26, the IMD announced that Banda in Uttar Pradesh and Brahmapuri in Maharashtra recorded the highest maximum temperatures, of 47.6 degrees Celsius.A map published by the IMD on May 26, 2026, showing maximum temperature ranges across India on Monday, May 25.In Andhra Pradesh, 10 sub-districts or mandals witnessed a severe heatwave on May 25, while 125 mandals experienced a heatwave as per the State Disaster Management Authority, reported TheNewsMinute. Per the report, Kankipadu and Penamaluru of Krishna district recorded the highest temperatures, at 48.1 degrees Celsius.Hot days, warm nightsMany parts of the country, including parts of Saurashtra and Kutch, Konkan and Goa, Gangetic West Bengal and Tamil Nadu will witness hot and humid weather for different durations from May 25-29.With day time temperatures remaining between 40 and 47 degrees Celsius across most parts of India, warm nights are also aggravating the impacts of day time heat.Warm night conditions prevailed in isolated pockets over eastern Uttar Pradesh, the Vidarbha region in Maharashtra, western Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, the IMD said in a statement on May 25. Many of these areas, as well as parts of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, will continue to experience this phenomenon till May 27 per the IMD’s latest bulletin.Warm nights are a concern, especially in urban areas, because higher than normal night temperatures prevent these areas from cooling down, creating a warm ‘island’ of heat — also called urban heat islands.‘Likely to get worse in coming years’Dr Soumya Swaminathan, former Chief Scientist of the World Health Organisation, said that the heat is likely to get worse in the coming years, and is a threat to both lives and livelihoods.“The kind of temperatures we are seeing now is very close to the limit of human tolerability,” she told ANI on May 26. Several hundred people have already died of extreme heat, though we don’t have the exact numbers because of a lack of records. And millions of others are also affected because they’ve fallen sick or cannot go to work, she added.Calling for action beyond the health sector, for a multi-sectoral response to the heat, Swaminathan added that India needs to revisit its definition of a heatwave because many regions experience humid heat which affects the human body differently. India therefore needs a geography-specific definition of heat, something the IMD is already looking into, she added.Reports suggest that power demand in the country may peak again in response to the intense heat. News agency Reuters reported on May 26 that government-run Coal India has asked its subsidiaries to ramp up coal supplies to power plants to avoid shortages. Per the report, around 21 power plants have coal stock enough to meet less than a week’s demand, according to data from the Central Electricity Authority.Exodus to the hillsSeveral reports suggest that people in urban areas are exiting cities and heading towards the cooler hills and mountain ranges to escape the heat. Social media was rife with such accounts; one showed a long line of vehicles at Zero Point in Sikkim.“India is no longer struggling to attract tourists… it is now struggling to handle the crowd.From mountains to beaches, every tourist destination is packed. People spend more time stuck in traffic than actually enjoying the journey.This scene from Sikkim’s Zero Point is not… pic.twitter.com/czVBcG5L4z— The Nalanda Index (@Nalanda_index) May 26, 2026Another showed a similar scene in Kodaikanal, a popular hill station in Tamil Nadu.VIDEO | Tamil Nadu: Tourist footfall surges in Kodaikanal as vehicles line up amid scorching heat and the summer vacation season.(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/cdjnO4apJ0— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 24, 2026Water scarcity in many areasMeanwhile, the less fortunate have to deal with water scarcity in their homes while the country swelters under intense heat. Water has become an increasingly scarce resource and the lack of it is adding to the heat woes. In Gujarat’s Valsad district, villagers are having to risk their lives, descending 45 feet down into wells to fetch water, the Indian Express reported.No Water In 45°C Heat! Why Raipur’s Rewa Village Is Facing A Brutal Water CrisisJust 28 km from Raipur, Chhattisgarh, one of India’s hottest cities right now- Rewa village is fighting a brutal water crisis in 45°C heat. Despite pipelines laid under the high-profile Jal Jeevan… pic.twitter.com/XN5Rb0T3aL— Pragnya Gupta (@GuptaPragnya) May 25, 2026Water levels in the Yamuna dipped, affecting water supply to several parts of the national capital, the Times of India reported.