Indian city hits 51 degrees, setting new heat record since 1950s

A city in northern India has shattered the national heat record, registering a searing 51 degrees Celsius – the highest since records began – the weather office said on Friday.

The new record in Phalodi, a city in the desert state of Rajasthan,comes as a heatwave sweeps the nation.

It tops a previous record of 50.6 degrees set in 1956.

“Yesterday [Thursday] was the hottest temperature ever recorded in the country ... 51 degrees in Phalodi,” said B.P. Yadav, a director of the India Meteorological Department, said on Friday.

Temperatures in northern India regularly hit the high 40s in May and June – the hottest months of the year – but topping 50 degrees is unusual.