These are the 10 hottest places in India right now

Heatwave conditions have been predicted over northwest India including Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, north Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and northwest Madhya Pradesh for the next two days under the influence of the dry westerly and southwesterly winds from Pakistan. The weather department has said that the present atmospheric features in these regions are not favourable for the advancement of the southwest monsoon. On the other side of the country, however, widespread rainfall has been predicted under the influence of strong moist southwesterly winds from the Bay of Bengal. Heavy rainfall is likely over Bihar, sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim and other northeastern states during the next 5 days.

Here are the 10 hottest places in India on Thursday, according to Skymet weather. And the Capital with its soaring mercury is one of them.

Ganganagar (Rajasthan): 45.8

Churu (Rajasthan): 45.4

Pilani (Rajasthan): 44.7

Bikaner (Rajasthan): 44.4

Narnaul (Haryana/NCR): 44.0

Hissar (Haryana): 43.5

New Delhi: 43.5

Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh): 43.4

Rohtak (Haryana): 43.4

Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh): 43.2

A severe heatwave swept the national capital on Wednesday with the mercury settling at 43.5 degrees Celsius, the highest so far this year, the India Meteorological Department said. On Thursday morning, Delhi's temperature was 31.7 degree celsius, four notches normal. The relative humidity at 8.30am was recorded at 43 per cent.

A heatwave, for the plains, is declared when the maximum temperature is over 40 degrees Celsius and at least 4.5 notches above normal. A severe heatwave is declared if the departure from the normal temperature is more than 6.5 degrees Celsius, according to the IMD.

"Usually, the capital witnesses heatwaves till June 20 and cooler temperatures thereafter. The increase in the maximum temperature this time can be attributed to the delay in the arrival of the monsoon," Kuldeep Srivastava, head of the IMD's regional forecasting centre, told PTI.

Monsoon has not yet set in Delhi which is not normal as generally, monsoon reaches Delhi by June 27 and covers the entire country by July 8. In 2012, the monsoon in Delhi was late and arrived on July 7.