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 followed by Barmer in Rajasthan and Amravati in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, recording 45.7degC and 45.6degC respectively. In Uttar Pradesh, Prayagraj registered 45.5degC, while Varanasi touched 45.0degC, placing them among the most heat-affected cities in the country. Both cities witnessed four-year highs. Lucknow recorded its hottest day of the season as the mercury soared to 42.9degC, with maximum and minimum temperatures of around 44degC and 26degC respectively forecast for Sunday. IMD issued a warning of a very likely heat wave over the area. The extreme temperature in Banda highlights the intensity of the heatwave gripping large parts of eastern and central UP, where several districts reported dangerously high temperatures. Jhansi's maximum temperature of 44.8degC made it the hottest in four years. Fourteen cities in Uttar Pradesh figured among the country's hottest cities where the temperature was 41degC and above. Except for Najibabad, which recorded a maximum temperature of 39.2degC, other parts of the state experienced maximum temperatures of 40degC or higher....