Jaipur, March 4 -- This year's Holi celebrations in Rajasthan began on a sweaty note, as temperatures of over 35degCelsius were recorded across the state on Tuesday, officials said. According to officials with the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Barmer recorded the hottest temperature (37.6deg Celsius), followed by 35.7deg Celsius in Jaisalmer, 35.4degCelsius in Jodhpur, Phalodi and Chittorgarh, and 35.2deg Celsius in Alwar. A city-wise classification revealed that the temperature in at least 16 cities- Pali, Lunkaransar, Jalore, Nagaur, Churu, Bikaner, Pratapgarh, Dausa, Karauli, Fatehpur, Jawai Dam, Dungarpur, Kota, Pilani, Jaipur, Bhilwara, and Ajmer- consistently remained above 33deg Celsius. "The temperature on Tuesday was 2 to 3 degrees above the normal measure, and the weather was mostly dry, which is likely to continue for the next two weeks," said IMD's chief in Jaipur, Radhe Shyam Sharma. He added that humidity levels falling to below 40%, along with intense daytime heat had led to a consistent increase in temperature throughout the day. The latest minimum night temperature readings in many cities are between 18 to 23deg Celsius, he said. On Monday, Fatehpur recorded the maximum temperature (36.5deg Celsius), followed by 35.5deg Celsius in Barmer, 35.1deg Celsius in Jodhpur, 34.7deg Celsius in Jaisalmer, and 34.6deg Celsius in Chittorgarh. According to Sharma, "Subtropical westerly jet stream with core winds of the order of 100 knots at 12.6 km above mean sea level continue to prevail over Northwest India. A fresh Western Disturbance, seen as a trough in middle level tropospheric westerlies with its axis at 5.8 km above mean sea level, runs roughly along Long. 52degE to the north of Lat. 33degN. Another fresh Western Disturbance is likely to affect Western Himalayan region from March 6." He added that the state may witness a heatwave soon after Holi. "We are expecting temperatures to cross 40degCelsius after Holi. The winds will also become more scorching. People are advised to take necessary measures to save themselves from the heat, especially in the afternoons," he said, adding that the state numbered among those where the upcoming heatwave was estimated to be longer than usual (15 days)....