India is likely to face a blistering summer after recording its hottest February since 1901, its weather department has said. Average maximum temperature was 29.5C in February, the highest since India started keeping proper weather records. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has also forecast "enhanced probability" of heatwaves between March and May. Prolonged heat could affect wheat production and push up power demand. Last year, India was forced to ban wheat exports after unseasonably hot weather affected the crop, sending local prices soaring. India is the world's second biggest wheat producer. The unusually high temperatures had also triggered a spike in power demand last year, leading to outages in many states. This year too, demand for electricity has already reached near-record levels in recent weeks, Bloomberg reported. India saw a 55% rise in deaths due to extreme heat between 2000-2004 and 2017-2021, according to a study published last year in the medical journal, The Lancet.