EXTREME Record Breaking Heat- India, Pakistan

- Adding to Drought, Forest Fires, Power Outages, Deaths,  -

India has set an all-time record high for any calendar day as extreme heat continues to sear northwest parts of that country and adjacent portions of Pakistan.

The high temperature reached 123.8 degrees Fahrenheit (51 degrees Celsius) in Phalodi, India, Thursday. This topped India's previous all-time record high for any calendar day of 123.1 degrees Fahrenheit (50.6 degrees Celsius) set in Pachpadra on May 25, 1886, according to weather records from Maximiliano Herrera.

Northern Phalodi wilted as the mercury reached a new high, equivalent to 123.8 Fahrenheit, beating a 60-year-old record.

"Yesterday (Thursday) was the hottest temperature ever recorded in the country... 51 degrees in Phalodi," said B.P. Yadav, a director of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Hundreds of people die every year from the heat in India, with May and June usually the hottest months.

The latest record high came as the IMD issued warnings of "severe heat wave" conditions across large parts of India's north and west, including the capital Delhi, where temperatures hit 47 degrees Celsius earlier this week.

Zoo animals in the capital were treated to cold baths and given electrolytes to prevent dehydration.

Demand for electricity in the city of 25 million people surged to a record high on Thursday as sweltering residents turned on their air conditioners.

“Prolonged power outages in these areas are making the situation worse, especially during the day,” a Pakistani senior meteorologist, who asked not to be named, told The Express Tribune.

Police officers on the beat were given oral rehydration solution and special "cooling scarves" containing water-absorbent crystals to keep their body temperature down, local papers reported.

The capital's hospitals have seen a spike in cases of heatstroke, while authorities in many states have ordered schools to break for summer earlier than normal due to the heatwave.

In neighboring Pakistan, temperatures have risen to “critical” levels this week, the Pakistani Meteorological Department reports. 

The high temperatures topped out at 124.7 degrees Fahrenheit (51.5 degrees Celsius) Thursday in the city of Jacobabad.

The Pakistani meteorologist told The Express Tribune the higher temperatures in the northern areas might result in heavy flooding during the monsoon season starting in July.

Pakistani residents sleep under trees in a park during rising temperatures in Karachi on May 17, 2016. Pakistan's Meteorological Department has forecast hot and dry weather in most parts of the country with the highest temperatures recorded at 47 celsius in the southern Sindh province. 
(ASIF HASSAN/AFP/Getty Images)



Contributing sources:

https://weather.com/news/weather/news/record-heat-hits-india-extreme-heat-pakistan

https://www.yahoo.com/news/indian-city-hits-51-degrees-setting-heat-record-052206452.html?ref=gs

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