Churu in Rajasthan is sizzling with a record temperature of 50 degree Celsius.
India is reeling from an intense heat wave with temperatures crossing 45 degree Celsius in many parts of the country.
In fact, 11 of the 15 hottest places in the world are located within India, according to weather monitoring website El Dorado.
Rajasthan’s Churu recorded the highest temperature of 50 degree Celsius. The meteorological department has put Rajasthan and the central state of Madhya Pradesh on alert for "severe heat wave conditions". Both states often record some of the highest temperatures at the peak of summer.
| No. | Location | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Churu (India) | 50.3°C |
| 2 | Jacobabad (Pakistan) | 50°C |
| 3 | Ganganagar (India) | 48.8°C |
| 4 | Pad Idan (Pakistan) | 48.5°C |
| 5 | Bikaner (India) | 48.4°C |
| 6 | Sibi (Pakistan) | 48.3°C |
| 7 | Phalodi (India) | 48.2°C |
| 8 | Rohri (Pakistan) | 48°C |
| 9 | Jaisalmer (India) | 47.8°C |
| 10 | Nowgong (India) | 47.7°C |
| 11 | Narnaul (India) | 47.6°C |
| 12 | Kota Aerodrome (India) | 47.5°C |
| 13 | Pilani (India) | 47.5°C |
| 14 | Barmer (India) | 47.2°C |
| 15 | Sawai Madhopur (India) | 47.2°C |
But this year has been particularly scorching in other places, too, from the northern plains to the Deccan plateau in the west and the south.
The unrelenting heat has been hardest on the homeless, as well as those who have no choice but to keep working despite the soaring temperatures - such as street vendors, traffic police and rickshaw drivers.
India's meteorological department has said the heat wave is likely to continue for a few more days as the monsoon is delayed.
The killer heat has left 6,167 dead in India between 2010 and 2018, according to information provided to Parliament in February.
As many as 2,081 deaths were recorded in 2015 alone.
The IMD defines heat waves differently for varying topographies. Maximum temperatures of over 40 degree Celsius are considered to be a heat wave in the plains. In case of coastal areas, it is over 37 degree Celsius and above 30 degree Celsius for the hilly areas.
According to American space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 15 years of this century have been warmest since 1880, the first year for which surface temperature data is available. This shows the globe has been warming at a much faster rate than what climate scientists believed. The global average surface temperature between 1880 and 2018 increased by 0.6 degree Celsius. In India’s case, it was 0.8 degree Celsius, according to an April El Dorado Weather report.
In fact, 2018 was the warmest in India since 1901. IMD forecasts indicate that 2019 could be a notch warmer than the previous year if the monsoon rainfall is not as per near normal prediction for it.
