Hardly three weeks into August, the month marked by intense spells of rain in the previous years, southern and central Kerala is reeling under heatwave-like conditions, recording temperatures of up to 36°C .
Punalur sizzled at 36.2°C , the highest in the State on August 23, while Thiruvananthapuram and Palakkad recorded 35.7°C and 35.4°C respectively, 5°C above the normal. In Kottayam also, the mercury soared 5°C above the normal temperature.