(Image source from: Canva.com)

All 50 of the hottest cities around the globe early on Friday were located in India, as an intense heatwave swept across the northern, central, and eastern regions of the nation, raising temperatures to over 40 degrees Celsius even before noon. Per the air quality and weather monitoring site AQI.in, the complete list of the top 50 hottest cities at 10:50 am IST was entirely filled with Indian locations, with Balangir in Odisha being the hottest at 45°C. Following closely were Chandrapur and Prayagraj at 44°C, along with several cities in Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Telangana, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh. The rankings highlighted the severity of the current heatwave. More than half of the cities on the list were in Uttar Pradesh alone, with areas like Varanasi, Banda, Bareilly, and Ayodhya recording temperatures between 42°C and 43°C before noon. The India Meteorological Department has already issued warnings that heatwave to severe heatwave conditions are expected to persist across northwest and central India throughout the week, with red and orange alerts announced for several states.

This severe weather is being caused by constant dry winds from the northwest, clear skies, and a delay in pre-monsoon relief affecting large portions of the Indo-Gangetic plains. Delhi and the National Capital Region are also enduring extreme heat, with the IMD warning that temperatures could reach 45°C in the upcoming days. The heatwave has extended from Odisha through Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, and Maharashtra, creating what meteorologists call a vast “heat dome” over the subcontinent. In the Vidarbha region, several cities have already surpassed 46°C this week. Hospitals in various states have seen an increase in cases of dehydration, heat exhaustion, and sunstroke, particularly among outdoor workers, children, and the elderly. Authorities have advised individuals to avoid direct sunlight during the afternoon, drink plenty of water, and limit unnecessary travel.

Balangir topping the global heat chart is not completely unexpected. The area in western Odisha, particularly the Titlagarh-Balangir region, has historically been one of India's hottest places. However, the fact that all 50 hottest cities in the world were in one country on a single morning highlights the exceptional strength and wide reach of India's 2026 heatwave.