The India Meteorological Department has issued a heavy rain alert for 22 states across the country on Wednesday, with thunderstorms and gusty winds expected in several regions. Winds could reach speeds of up to 70 kilometres per hour during the period.

The states under alert are Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Sikkim, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh.

Delhi and nearby Noida and Gurugram are expected to see rain and thunderstorms, with the maximum temperature around 33 degrees Celsius and the minimum near 22 degrees. Several districts of Uttar Pradesh, including Meerut, Ghaziabad, Agra, Kanpur and Gorakhpur, are under alert.

In the south, interior Karnataka faces heavy rain through October 2, while Kerala will see heavier spells from tonight into October 3. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal till October 5.