In 2024, New Delhi recorded an exceptionally high, albeit disputed, temperature of 52.3°C (126.1°F) at the Mungeshpur station on May 29. While this figure was later questioned by Reuters due to sensor errors, the city consistently experiences its highest temperatures in late May or early June, with, for example, a 43.8°C reading recorded in June 2025.
Check Out| Which is the Most Spoken Language in the World? The highest recorded temperature of Delhi is officially recorded as 52.3°C at the Mungeshpur weather station in May 2024. The Safdarjung observatory and other stations give a highest reading of 45-47°C for recent heatwaves as better and more stable readings.
A heat wave alert has been in place for large parts of India since last week but on Wednesday the temperature in Mungeshpur, a densely packed corner of Delhi, crossed the 50 C mark, the weather office said. The Indian capital has had temperatures of over 45 C in previous years but never gone as high as 52.9 C.
Delhi has issued a red alert as temperatures have soared to an unprecedented 52°C, breaking all previous records and causing severe heatwave conditions. This extreme heat has led to major health concerns, power and water shortages, and disruptions in daily life.
Delhi's proximity to the Thar Desert results in hot, dry continental winds, called loo, at times blowing all across from the West Asian mainland, making the days feel hotter. These winds, blowing over from vast land stretches, are very hot and dry.
Delhi | Hottest day in 18 years | Recorded temperature 47 degree celsius
Does it get to 50 degrees in India?
In some parts of the country, daytime temperatures have hovered close to 50 degrees Celsius, or 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Three quarters of the country's population of 1.4 billion is at risk of extreme heat. As life adapts to this growing reality, we spent a day in the country's hottest region to see how residents cope.
The human body can't tolerate its temperature reaching 43 degrees C (about 109.4 degrees F). “Anyone who reaches that core temperature — 99.9% would die,” Vanos said. This is the upper limit of survival. Heat often kills in more subtle ways — by worsening pre-existing issues, like cardiovascular or renal disease.
The IMD says that from April to June 2025, most areas will have hotter-than-normal days and nights. This is part of a larger trend of changing climate patterns. Last year, in 2024, India had one of its hottest summers in 14 years. There were 536 days of heat waves across the country.
May in Delhi brings hot temperatures, with the mercury hovering between approximately 25.3C to 39.6C. Delhi temperature in May experiences nearly 14 hours of sunlight daily, accompanied by high humidity levels. The warm breeze provides some relief, but the overall atmosphere can be quite hot.
This was the first time 40°C has been recorded in the UK. A new record daily maximum temperature was provisionally reached on 19 July, with 40.3°C recorded at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, exceeding the previous record by 1.6°C.
The temperature trends from 1901 to 2020 and projected trends from 2050 to 2100 in selected cities, including Delhi were analyzed and an average mean maximum temperature increase of 1.5 °C since the 1980s and an additional increase of 1.5 °C for 2050 and 2.5 °C for 2100 in the RCP 8.5 (high emissions) scenarios was ...
Experts have found that the human body has an “upper critical temperature” of between 40C and 50C, a limit which, if surpassed, can cause it to start malfunctioning.
Hyperthermia at or above about 40 °C (104 °F) is a life-threatening medical emergency that requires immediate treatment. Common symptoms include headache, confusion, and fatigue. If sweating has resulted in dehydration, then the affected person may have dry, red skin.
A heat burst is claimed to have sent the air temperature to near 140 °F (60 °C), supposedly causing cotton crops to become desiccated and drying out vegetation. While it is possible the reading may have exceeded 100 °F (38 °C), the thermometers designed to detect temperatures up to 140 °F (60 °C) broke.
Delhi's has an extreme climate. It is very hot in summer (April - July) and cold in winter (December - January). The average temperature can vary from 25oC to 45oC during the summer and 22oC to 5oC during the winter.
2025 was a bad year for India's foreign policy. The country's usually intrepid diplomats, led by the suave and quick-witted Subramanyam Jaishankar often dubbed by his legions of admirers as the best foreign minister India has ever had fumbled.
What countries will be too hot to live in by 2050?
By 2050 around 970 cities will be at least this hot, with much higher exposure in Asia, Africa and North America (see Figure 1). Average high temperatures of 35°C (95°F) will mean that heatwaves will become far more intense.
India's per capita water availability stood at 1,486 cubic metres in 2021, placing it in the water-stressed category (below 1,700 cubic metres). Government estimates suggest this could fall further to 1,341 cubic metres by 2025 and 1,140 cubic metres by 2050, pushing large parts of the country closer to scarcity.
The highest environmental temperature humans can survive is 104°F to 122°F (40°C to 50°C). But those temperatures aren't safe. A safe temperature range for prolonged outdoor time is 77°F to 88°F (25°C to 31°C). The heat index accounts for both temperature and humidity.
Sleep experts believe the best temperature for great sleep is between 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit. But in addition to making you uncomfortable and interfering with healthy sleep patterns, being too hot at any time of day or night can cause health risks like dehydration and heat stroke.
Lambasingi in Andhra Pradesh is the coldest place in South India, with temperatures occasionally dropping to 0°C. The second coldest inhabited place in the world is Dras, Ladakh (India), following Oymyakon, Russia. Keylong is the coldest hill station in Himachal Pradesh, recording lows of -15°C.
Air coolers serve as an effective and cost-efficient option when using an air conditioner in the summer season in Delhi. Considering the city's hotter regions, it makes sense to buy a durable air cooler that meets one's expectations. One of the best Cooler Manufacturer in Delhi is Mehta Industries.
