MUMBAI: If the world had a thermostat, India just turned it all the way up. India currently hosts 19 of the 20 hottest locations on the planet, according to data cited by News18 from AQI.in, laying bare the scale of an intense heatwave sweeping across the country this April. Cities across eastern and northern India dominate the list. Bhagalpur in Bihar, Talcher in Odisha and Asansol in West Bengal have each recorded peak temperatures of 44°C, the highest globally at the time of measurement. Close behind are Begusarai, Motihari, Munger, Bhojpur and Siwan in Bihar, along with parts of West Bengal and eastern Uttar Pradesh, all hovering around 43°C. The only non-Indian entry in the top 20 is Lumbini in Nepal.
The India Meteorological Department has warned that heatwave conditions are set to persist between April 22 and 24, with temperatures expected to climb further and touch 43°C across several regions. Under IMD norms, a heatwave is declared when temperatures cross 40°C.
What makes this episode notable is its scale. The simultaneous surge across northern, central and eastern India suggests a broader atmospheric pattern rather than isolated spikes. Meteorologists point to a convergence of factors, intense pre-monsoon solar radiation rapidly heating land surfaces, cloudless skies allowing uninterrupted sunlight, and hot, dry north-westerly winds suppressing rainfall.
A deficit in winter snowfall across Eurasia and the Himalayas has further amplified the heat. With less snow to reflect sunlight, more heat is absorbed, accelerating both the onset and intensity of high temperatures. Shifting ocean conditions are also in play, with rising Pacific sea surface temperatures and a move towards ENSO-neutral patterns weakening cooling weather systems that would typically moderate extremes.
Yet the heat story isn’t uniform. While large parts of the north, centre and east bake under extreme conditions, southern and north-eastern regions are seeing moisture inflows and thunderstorm activity highlighting a sharp regional contrast in India’s current weather map.
For now, the numbers tell a stark story: when it comes to global heat, India isn’t just on the list, it is the list.
