Heat wave in Phalodi, India, 19 May 2016

On 19 May 2016, Phalodi, India, recorded an all-time record high temperature of 51°C. An analysis by the Raising Risk Awareness Project found that while annual mean temperatures across India are increasing and heat waves in some small areas are becoming more frequent and intense, human-induced climate change did not play a detectable role in this specific event or a similar one in Andhra Pradesh in May 2015. The study suggests this lack of a detectable trend might be caused by irrigation use and the masking effect of aerosols on warming.

• On 19 May 2016, the city of Phalodi in Rajasthan reached a temperature of 51°C, marking an all-time record high for any calendar day in India and potentially the third-highest temperature ever documented globally.
• Analysis conducted by the Raising Risk Awareness Project and the World Weather Attribution initiative concluded that human-induced climate change did not contribute to the 19 May 2016 heat wave in north-western India or a similar one-day event in Andhra Pradesh in May 2015.
• The absence of a detectable climate change trend for these specific events may be attributed to irrigation use and the masking effect of aerosols on warming.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (2017). Heat wave in Phalodi, India, 19 May 2016. https://cdkn.org/resource/phalodi

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. Heat wave in Phalodi, India, 19 May 2016. 2017. https://cdkn.org/resource/phalodi.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=Heat wave in Phalodi, India, 19 May 2016 |date=24 February 2017 |url=https://cdkn.org/resource/phalodi |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetwork2017heat, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{Heat wave in Phalodi, India, 19 May 2016}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2017}, month = feb, url = {https://cdkn.org/resource/phalodi}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }