Hyderabad recorded 43 degrees Celsius for the first time this month on Monday – the highest in 10 years and only 0.3 degree Celsius short of the all-time temperature recorded on April 30, 1973. The Indian Meteorological Department has issued a heatwave alert for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh till Wednesday, reported CNN-News18.

Not only Hyderabad, Mahbubnagar too sizzled at 44.5 degrees Celsius on Monday. In Andhra Pradesh, the maximum temperature was recorded in Tirupati at 43.7 degrees Celsius. At least 12 people died because of sunstroke this summer in the two states that have witnessed intense heatwave conditions, according to CNN-News18.

The IMD said heatwave conditions would prevail for a few more days and the temperature will be 2-4 degrees above normal, reported The Times of India. “Maximum temperature is likely to be above 42 degrees Celsius at isolated places in north Telangana and above 40 degrees Celsius at many places across Telangana,” said the weather department. The state governments, too, have issued advisory to citizens, asking them to stay indoors.

Pre-monsoon showers, which could have brought down the temperature, have mostly been erratic this season. Till date, there is a 29% shortage of pre-monsoon showers. “For the past few days, there has been no formation of cumulonimbus clouds over the state or the city, and with a well-marked low-pressure zone over the East-Central Bay of Bengal keeping the Deccan plateau devoid of humidity, people are feeling very warm,” IMD scientist K Naga Ratna told The Times of India.

The IMD director at Hyderabad, YK Reddy, told CNN-News18 that May would be worse. “Temperatures can go as high as 48 degrees Celsius,” Reddy said. “We have issued warnings to state governments for necessary actions. But not just governments, it’s important that people must also protect themselves.”