It tops a previous record of 50.6C set in 1956.
AB Wire
Phalodi, a city in Rajasthan has broken the national heat record amid a heat wave across India, registering 51C, equivalent of 123.8F, the highest since records began.
It tops a previous record of 50.6C set in 1956.
“Yesterday (Thursday) was the hottest temperature ever recorded in the country… 51C in Phalodi,†BP Yadav of India’s weather office said.
Jaisalmer, Brmer, Bikaner, Kota and Jaipur recorded maximum of 49, 49.5, 49.5, 48.2 and 46.5 degrees Celsius respectively, MeT department said.
India declares a heatwave when the maximum temperature hits 45C or five degrees higher than the average for the area in previous years.
Several people are thought to have died during this year’s heatwave and States like Telangana and Andhra Pradesh  have banned daytime cooking in order to limit the fire risk.