India just set a new national record heat benchmark when Phalodi, a small town of 50,000 people in Jodhpur district of Rajasthan, recorded a high temperature of a whopping 51 degrees Celsius, or 123.8 degrees Fahrenheit, on May 19.
The data, recorded by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), shows that the high temperature eclipsed the previous national high temperature of 50.6 degrees Celsius, which was set way back in 1886.
Here is the official tweet- announcement about this:
Phalodi in Rajasthan, India recorded 51.0 Deg C Temperature on 19 May, 2016, which is the highest ever recorded temperature in India.
— India Met. Dept. (@Indiametdept) May 19, 2016
Alwar, so long, had the record of registering the maximum temperature ever in the country since 1956 at 50.6 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, the meteorological department said the heatwave condition would further aggravate in next couple of days.
Here is the statement of an officer who works at the Jaipur Met. office.
“The Pink City had recorded its hottest day on May 25, 1932, when a maximum temperature read at 47.7 degrees Celsius. However, on Thursday, the maximum temperature was hottest in the last 11 years,”
Murari Lal Thanvi, an eyewitness in Phalodi, told this to a BBC reporter when asked about the conditions there in the village.
“Even my mobile phone gave up and stopped working when I was trying to take pictures today, I was able to switch my mobile phone on after putting a wet cloth on it for about 20-25 minutes.”
Let’s look at this infographics to compare this temperature with the temperatures of some other hot cities. ( Infographics Courtesy: Indiatimes )
On Wednesday, for example, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that the 12 months ending in April 2016 were the most unusually warm 12-straight months in the agency’s 137 years of temperature data.
According to NASA, it is almost certain that 2016 will be the planet’s warmest year, beating 2015.
The India Meteorological Department have already issued a “severe heat wave warning” for a huge swath of the country on Thursday, which is expected to continue through Saturday. The department expects temperatures will remain above average through at least May 27.