Phalodi, a city in Northern India has shattered the national heat record, registering a searing 51°C, the highest since records began, the weather office said on Friday.
Phalodi is the desert state of Rajasthan and is the equivalent of 123.8°F. It tops a previous record of 50.6°C in 1956.
“Thursday was the hottest temperature ever recorded in the country,” said B.P. Yadav, Director of the India Meteorological Department, told the media.
The weather office has issued warnings of “severe heatwave” conditions across large parts of India’s northern and western regions through the weekend.
India declares a heatwave when the maximum temperature hits 45°C or five degrees higher than the average for the area in previous years.
