As northern and central India intensified in heat, with temperatures soaring past 45 degrees Celsius, 27 people lost their lives these past several days.

India’s summers are always scorching but according to experts, the average summer temperatures have been rising annually, becoming harder and harder to bear.

Northern and central India has been suffering especially from the intensifying heat wave. Since the beginning of summer in April, some 80 people have died already.

Uttar Pradesh, in the northern part of the country and its poorest and most populous state, was affected the most, with 9 people losing their lives. Another 8 persons suffered heat-related deaths in New Delhi.

The northern states of Punjab and Rajasthan reported 9 more deaths and 1 person died in central Madhya Pradesh.

The extreme heat, which reached 44 degrees Celsius in Delhi on Sunday and even 46 degrees Celsius in Amritsar in Punjab and Sriganganagar in Rajasthan, was coupled with high humidity levels. The temperatures experienced were around four to five degrees above normal.

Weather officials warn that the heat would continue in the following days. India’s citizens will have to bear with its scorching summer until the end of June, when monsoon rains manage to cool the weather.