Temperatures were above normal at most places across the country on Sunday. The India Meteorological Department forecast a rise in temperatures for the rest of the week, The Times of India reported. Officials said Nandurbar in Maharashtra recorded 43 degrees Celsius on Sunday, making it the hottest city in the country, followed by Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh which recorded 40 degrees Celsius.

“The clear sky prevailing in the region has resulted in increased temperatures,” an unidentified India Meteorological Department official told The Indian Express. “Additionally, at present, there are no weather systems over Maharashtra that could have otherwise interfered and kept the temperatures in check.”

The India Meteorological Department said maximum temperatures recorded several places in Jharkhand and Bihar were significantly above normal (5.1 degrees Celsius or more). The mercury was “appreciably above normal” (3.1 degrees Celsius to 5.0 degrees Celsius) in Uttar Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura and in several areas in Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Odisha and East Madhya Pradesh.

Punjab, West Madhya Pradesh, Saurashtra, Kutch, East Rajasthan, Vidarbha, Marathwada and Rayalaseema and many places in Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi experienced above normal temperatures too.

The mercury was on the higher side in central Maharashtra, Goa, coastal and interior Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, and isolated places over Andaman and Nicobar Islands.