Ranchi: All schools in Jharkhand were closed till June 15 in view of severe heatwave conditions in the state.

Temperatures in most parts of Jharkhand hovered above the 40 degrees Celsius mark on Tuesday, with the mercury settling over 45 degrees Celsius in the Palamu region.

An order issued by the School Education and Literacy Department said in the wake of the "extreme heat and heat wave conditions in the state, all categories of government, non-government, aided/non-aided (including minority) and all private schools operating in the state will remain closed from June 12 to June 15”.

The scorching temperatures are likely to continue in most parts of the state in the next few days, the weather office said.