India just had their highest temperatures ever at 123.8. Is this due to climate change, normal fluctuations, or both? I’m not sure anyone knows for sure, even as the planet does appear to be in a warming trend.
Here in Vegas, for whatever inexplicable reason, Germans enjoy visiting when temperatures are baking, then going to Furnace Creek in Death Valley to have their picture taken next to the thermometer. Frying eggs in the parking lot is not appreciated as it gets stinky and attracts birds. This actually happens and the park really requests that tourists not do it. When it hit 132 a few years ago, their were dozens of eggs in the parking lot. Sigh.
Hot temperatures can be brutal and even life-threatening if you aren’t used to them. The best thing you can do is drink lots of water, wear big hats, and not over-exert yourself outside. And remember, in Vegas and Death Valley, it’s a dry heat (yeah yeah, so is an incinerator.) 130 with single digit humidity is probably more tolerable than 100 with very high humidity.
“Yesterday (Thursday) was the hottest temperature ever recorded in the country … 51C in Phalodi,” said BP Yadav, a director of India’s meteorological department, on Friday.