Hot Core Shifts to India

Original from Jim's blog, www.accuweather.com

Thanks to high pressure set right over the middle of India, the nation was the site of earth's hottest weather of the day. Of the sites for which I have data, I have the two Maharashtra cities, Nagpur (47.1 degrees C) and Akola (47.0), `neck and neck` as the top two hot spots (near 117 degrees F, by the way).

Elsewhere, highs above 45 degrees C/113 degrees F were set from Rajasthan and Haryana east to Jharkhand and Orissa. If our data are right, the high of 43.5 degrees C at Delhi was higher than the hottest of 2008 (43.0).

In Pakistan, meanwhile, it cooled--if the 46 degrees at Nawabshah can be said to be `cooler`. Cooling was substantial, though, at Karachi, as if to say that the building of the strong ridge aloft had ended. The high was a relatively normal 34.5 degrees, down much from the abnormal 42.2 degrees of Wednesday. As I had said earlier in the week, I believe that Karachi gets its hottest weather when upper ridges build, but when the building ends, cooling off the sea increases.

--Looking forward, the heat will be severe over the Subcontinent as a whole through the day on Sunday. Thereafter, weakening of the high aloft will coincide with weak cooling. So, from Sindh and southern Punjab east as far as western West Bengal, India, I look for widespread 42-46 degree heat inland. Sea breezes, I believe, will keep Mumbai and Karachi moderate.