India records its hottest day ever as temperature hits 51C (that's 123.8F)

A city in northern India has shattered the national heat record, registering a searing 51C – the highest since records began – amid a nationwide heatwave.

The new record was set in Phalodi, a city in the desert state of Rajasthan, and is the equivalent of 123.8F.
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The weather office has issued warnings of “severe heat wave” conditions across large parts of India’s northern and western regions through the weekend.

Several hundred people are thought to have died during this year’s heatwave andsome areas have banned daytime cooking in order to limit the fire risk.

More than a thousand people died during a heatwave in 2015, mainly caused by dehydration in the southern part of the country.

India declares a heatwave when the maximum temperature hits 45 degrees Celsius, or five degrees higher than the average for the area in previous years.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/20...-day-ever-as-temperature-hits-51c-thats-1238f