Nagpur: Akola emerged as the hottest place in the country on Sunday, recording a maximum temperature of 43.1 degrees Celsius. It was followed by neighbouring Amravati district, where the mercury rose to 42.4 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). As per private forecaster El Daroda Weather, Akola was the third hottest place in the world while Amravati was at seventh position. This was the second time Akola featured in the top 10 of the world heat graph.Nagpur recorded its highest temperature of the season at 41.4 degrees Celsius. Yet, none of the Vidarbha districts qualified for a heatwave declaration, as the departure from normal remained barely 2 degrees Celsius.Wardha, Washim, Chandrapur, Buldhana and Gondia districts also recorded maximum temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius. Wardha touched 42.0 degrees Celsius, while Washim recorded 41.6 degrees Celsius. Chandrapur and Gadchiroli also crossed the 41 degrees Celsius mark. Even relatively lower readings such as Brahmapuri (39.6 degrees Celsius) and Bhandara (40.0 degrees Celsius) remained above seasonal norms.Data indicates a consistent rise in maximum temperatures over the past 24 hours, with several districts witnessing an increase of 1 degree Celsius to 2.5 degrees Celsius. The weather department attributed the surge to clear sky conditions and strong solar radiation. With no significant cloud cover or rainfall activity expected, temperatures are likely to climb further up to 43 degrees Celsius in the next couple of days in Nagpur and other districts. A yellow alert has been issued only for Akola on April 16.
