Girls shield themselves with shawls from the scorching heat on Kannara Street in Palakkad on Monday. | Photo Credit: K K Mustafah

More than 300 suspected cases of heat-related illnesses have been reported in ​the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh from the start ‌of March to mid-May, the state's health department ​said.

Here are some details:

Andhra Pradesh reported ⁠325 suspected heatstroke cases between March 1 and May 19 – with roughly a third of them reported since the start ‌of May.

Heatstroke, a medical emergency caused by the body overheating, can trigger confusion, ‌dizziness, nausea, seizures, loss of consciousness and organ failure ‌if ⁠not treated promptly.

State authorities advised ⁠people to avoid going outdoors between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. as "heatwaves and extreme temperatures are at their peak".

India's capital Delhi ​and large parts of ‌northern India are also forecast to face "heatwave to severe heatwave conditions" between May 22 and 27, India's weather office said on Friday.

Two heatstroke patients have ‌been admitted to a state-run hospital in Delhi ​and were critical, local media reported.

Severe heat has led to patients with ⁠diarrhoea and dehydration lining up at hospitals in some parts of the country and triggered water shortages in the ‌western state of Gujarat, visuals from news agency ANI showed.

The India Meteorological Department declares a heatwave when the maximum temperature is at least 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in the plains and 30 C (86 F) in hilly regions, and is 4.5 C ‌to 6.4 C above normal, or touches 45 C.

The ​highest maximum temperature of 48 C (118 F) so far this year was reported in Banda ⁠in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh this week, ⁠local media said.

India recorded more than 7,000 suspected heatstroke cases and 14 deaths between March ‌and June last year. Over the same period in 2024, there were 40,000 suspected cases and ​110 deaths.

Published on May 22, 2026