A heat wave has gripped large parts of India, emptying roads and markets in the afternoons. Forecasters warned that high temperatures will likely persist across several northern regions in the coming days.
____ This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
An electric rickshaw driver splashes water on his face to cool off under the intense summer heat in Lucknow, India, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
An electric rickshaw driver splashes water on his face to cool off under the intense summer heat in Lucknow, India, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
A man sleeps in the doorway of his house as stray dogs sprawl in the shade on the street on a hot afternoon in Lucknow, India, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
A man sleeps in the doorway of his house as stray dogs sprawl in the shade on the street on a hot afternoon in Lucknow, India, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Commuters rest at a roadside cooling station set up by the government to provide relief for people from the intense summer heat in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Commuters rest at a roadside cooling station set up by the government to provide relief for people from the intense summer heat in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
A man drinks from a water tap on a hot summer afternoon on the outskirts of Jammu, India, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
A man drinks from a water tap on a hot summer afternoon on the outskirts of Jammu, India, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
A rickshaw puller rests in the shade on a hot afternoon in Lucknow, India, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
A rickshaw puller rests in the shade on a hot afternoon in Lucknow, India, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
A man sits in front of a water cooler at a roadside cooling station set up by the government to provide relief for people from the intense summer heat in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
A man sits in front of a water cooler at a roadside cooling station set up by the government to provide relief for people from the intense summer heat in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Stray dogs sleep as a flock of crows forage under the shade of trees during a hot summer afternoon in Lucknow, India, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Stray dogs sleep as a flock of crows forage under the shade of trees during a hot summer afternoon in Lucknow, India, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
A boy cools himself at a street water tap in the intense summer heat in Jammu, India, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
A boy cools himself at a street water tap in the intense summer heat in Jammu, India, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
School children use cotton towels over their heads to protect themselves from the scorching afternoon heat as they walk through a parched field on the outskirts of Jammu, India, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
School children use cotton towels over their heads to protect themselves from the scorching afternoon heat as they walk through a parched field on the outskirts of Jammu, India, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
