Rajasthan and the northwest: heat records in past decay years

Scientists call the year after an El Niño peaks its "decay year", when the event fades. In India, some of the fiercest heat has come in such years, and Rajasthan holds the records.

The records (fact).

• Phalodi, 51.0°C on 19 May 2016: India's highest recorded temperature, confirmed by IMD at the time and later analysed in a 2018 study in Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences. It came in the summer after the strong 2015–16 El Niño.
• Alwar, 50.6°C in 1956: the previous record.
• Churu, 50.5°C on 28 May 2024: the highest in India that day, according to IMD. It came after the 2023–24 El Niño.

A long hot spell. IMD's May 2024 climate summary counted 11–17 heatwave days over Rajasthan, along with Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and west Uttar Pradesh.

Keep it honest. Not every decay year breaks heat records, and heatwaves happen in other years too. El Niño can raise the odds of a hotter summer; it does not decide it. IMD has not yet issued any outlook for summer 2027. Its hot-weather outlooks usually come out in spring.

Be ready. NDMA advises avoiding the sun between 12 noon and 3 pm, drinking water often even if you are not thirsty, and using ORS, lassi, lemon water or buttermilk. Heatstroke is a medical emergency: call 108 or 102 if someone is confused, unconscious or has stopped sweating, as MoHFW advises.

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