Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh on Friday recorded the highest temperature of 45.5 degrees Celsius, officials said.

The district recorded the second highest temperature in the country after Barmer in Rajasthan which recorded a maximum temperature of 45.7 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a release.

Heat waves swept Ratlam and Dhar in western Madhya Pradesh with Dhar recording a maximum temperature of 43.9 degrees Celsius.?

Temperatures rose above 41 degrees Celsius for the third consecutive day in MP.

Heat wave conditions are very likely to prevail at isolated places in western MP on Saturday and Sunday, the IMD forecast said.

The IMD's Bhopal centre director R Balasubramanian told PTI that heat wave was expected to be 20 per cent above the normal in the state in May.

“Presently summer is setting and higher temperatures in Gujarat and Rajasthan were shooting up in west MP. Cyclone Mocha will also influence the weather in MP as north-westerlies will bring more dry and hot weather,” he added.