Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala continues to experience scorching heat with Palakkad district recording the highest maximum temperature of 38.4 degrees Celsius on Thursday.

Due to the rising mercury levels during the past few days, electricity consumption in Kerala has also gone up with 102.99 million units (mu) being consumed on April 19 which is an all-time record for the state, according to the data on the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) website.

Electricity consumption has crossed the 100 million mark several times this month.

The maximum relative humidity in many parts of the state was more than 75 per cent, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data.

Such high temperatures, humidity levels and the resultant discomfort was last faced by the southern state in 2016 and 2019, an official of Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) said.

In view of the high temperatures, the KSDMA advised avoiding direct exposure to sunlight between 11 am to 3 pm and to drink water to prevent dehydration.

It also warned about the possibility of fires in forest areas as well as markets, buildings and dumping yards due to the searing heat.

Earlier in the day, the IMD said that on April 20 and 21, the maximum temperature in Palakkad district would rise to 39 degrees Celsius and in Kollam, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Thrissur and Kozhikode districts it would go up to 37 degrees Celsius.

It also said there was a possibility of rain with thunder and lightning at isolated places in Kerala today and rain with thunder and lightning between April 21 to 24.