Kamal Ghorui
Lucknow: As dry hot winds continued to lash UP mercilessly and skies remained clear, Banda recorded not only the highest maximum temperature in the country on Monday but was also the hottest place in the world, according to data released by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday.In fact, seven of the top 10 hot spots were in India and three were in Pakistan. Banda has been experiencing severe hot conditions this summer with the maximum temperature on Monday touching 47.6 degrees Celsius, the highest in Apr in 75 years since IMD started keeping records for the district in 1951.Banda has also been the hottest place in the country seven times in the past 15 days, including on Tuesday. The all-time highest temperature in Banda is 49.2 degrees Celsius, recorded on June 10, 2019.After Banda, Nawabshah in Pakistan was in second place with 47.5 degrees Celsius, followed by Jacobabad (Pakistan) at 47, Amraoti (India) at 46.6 and Wardha (India) at 46.5. Barmer and Jaisalmer (India) recorded 46.4 each, Akola (India) 46.3, and Khajuraho (India) and Pad Idan (Pakistan) recorded 46 each, the IMD data show.Senior scientist at IMD, Lucknow, Mohammad Danish said that overall severe hot conditions in UP this year in the second half of Apr were due to several reasons, including anti-cyclonic pressures over central India that pushed heat from the Vidarbha region towards UP. The conditions were aggravated by hot winds from the Thar desert of Rajasthan and clear skies allowing direct penetration of sun rays.Indirect factors included the formation of weak and fewer Western Disturbances (WDs) from Dec to Apr, leading to a lack of rainfall in winter and the absence of thunderstorms usually witnessed in Mar and Apr so far. These WDs originate from the Mediterranean sea and travel all the way to India, causing snow in the hills and rains in northwestern parts of the country in winter. In Mar, Apr and May, the WDs cause thunderstorms, helping in balancing the temperatures, he explained.Banda, in particular, was hotter because it falls under the Bundelkhand region, which has a rocky terrain that gets heated quickly, leading to a sharp rise in temperatures. Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh also falls in the Bundelkhand region. The three cities in Maharashtra — Amraoti, Wardha and Akola — that figure in the top 10 are also experiencing severe heat because of rocky terrain and anti-cyclonic pressure. The two Rajasthan cities — Barmer and Jaisalmer — fall in the desert region. The Pakistani districts in the list are also deserts.
