LUCKNOW, April 26 -- A punishing heatwave swept across Uttar Pradesh on Saturday with Banda recording a blistering 47.4degC, the highest temperature across the country, even as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a severe heatwave orange alert for 20 districts and their surrounding areas for Sunday.

These 20 districts include Banda, Prayagraj, Fatehpur, Varanasi, Ghazipur, Azamgarh, Rae Bareli, Amethi, Sultanpur, Jalaun and Hamirpur.Banda's temperature on Saturday was 6.2 degrees above normal, matching its highest April temperature recorded on April 29, 2022.

Heatwave conditions are expected to persist across the state until April 27, with a possibility of "warm nights" occurring in isolated pockets.Nationally, Banda was fo...