Roads shimmered, metal railings became untouchable, and weather trackers are flashing the same pattern over and over again — Indian cities dominating the list of the hottest places on the planet. After topping with 99 out of 100 hottest cities in the world last week, India has again bagged the dominant spot on Thursday with 97 out of 100.
Live global temperature rankings agency AQI this week showed the continuation of the extraordinary concentration of Indian cities in the world’s top 100 hottest locations, underscoring the scale of the heatwave gripping the country.
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Out of the 100 cities, live data as of May 22 2.49pm showed three are from Nepal, while 97 are from India. Cities from Odisha, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, featured in the top in the ranks.
Balangir in Odisha, Sasaram in Bihar and Varanasi in UP were among the three hottest locations globally, each recording temperatures around 47 to 48 degrees Celsius. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana also featured the top 50 of the list as scorching winds and dry weather conditions intensified the heat.
Among all states, Uttar Pradesh appears most frequently in the rankings, with cities such as Prayagraj, Varanasi, Mirzapur, Ghazipur, Banda and Fatehpur repeatedly recording extreme daytime temperatures. Maharashtra follows closely, particularly due to cities in the Vidarbha region including Chandrapur, Nagpur, Wardha and Amravati. Chhattisgarh also features prominently, with Raipur, Bilaspur, Bhilai and Durg appearing among the hottest urban centres in the country.
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From Rajasthan’s desert districts to the plains of Uttar Pradesh and the heat-battered stretches of Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region, temperatures have surged to punishing highs rarely seen this early and this consistently in the season.
Central India too continued to endure extreme temperatures.
Raipur, Bilaspur, and Durg in Chhattisgarh recorded severe heat conditions, while Balangir and Rourkela in Odisha witnessed sweltering daytime temperatures under clear skies. Weather conditions across most of these cities were marked as “Extreme Hot” by the live ranking platform.
| Rank | City | Temperature | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Balangir, Odisha | 48°C | Extreme Hot |
| 2 | Sasaram, Bihar | 48°C | Extreme Hot |
| 3 | Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh | 47°C | Extreme Hot |
| 4 | Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh | 47°C | Extreme Hot |
| 5 | Mahasamund, Chhattisgarh | 47°C | Extreme Hot |
| 6 | Rajamahendravaram, Andhra Pradesh | 47°C | Extreme Hot |
| 7 | Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh | 47°C | Extreme Hot |
| 8 | Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh | 47°C | Extreme Hot |
| 9 | Buxar, Bihar | 47°C | Extreme Hot |
| 10 | Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh | 47°C | Extreme Hot |
| 11 | Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh | 47°C | Extreme Hot |
| 12 | Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh | 47°C | Extreme Hot |
| 13 | Khammam, Telangana | 47°C | Extreme Hot |
| 14 | Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh | 47°C | Extreme Hot |
| 15 | Rudrapur, Uttarakhand | 47°C | Extreme Hot |
| 16 | Raipur, Chhattisgarh | 47°C | Extreme Hot |
| 17 | Rourkela, Odisha | 47°C | Extreme Hot |
| 18 | Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh | 47°C | Extreme Hot |
| 19 | Durg, Chhattisgarh | 47°C | Extreme Hot |
| 20 | Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh | 47°C | Extreme Hot |
| 21 | Rampur, Uttar Pradesh | 47°C | Extreme Hot |
| 22 | Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh | 47°C | Extreme Hot |
| 23 | Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh | 47°C | Extreme Hot |
| 24 | Chandrapur, Maharashtra | 47°C | Extreme Hot |
| 25 | Akbarpur, Uttar Pradesh | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 26 | Dhangadhi, Nepal | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 27 | Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 28 | Amroha, Uttar Pradesh | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 29 | Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 30 | Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 31 | Kurukshetra, Haryana | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 32 | Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 33 | Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 34 | Budaun, Uttar Pradesh | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 35 | Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 36 | Siddharthnagar, Uttar Pradesh | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 37 | Nepalgunj, Nepal | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 38 | Auraiya, Uttar Pradesh | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 39 | Etawah, Uttar Pradesh | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 40 | Shamli, Uttar Pradesh | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 41 | Suryapet, Telangana | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 42 | Patiala, Punjab | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 43 | Etah, Uttar Pradesh | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 44 | Kaithal, Haryana | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 45 | Banda, Uttar Pradesh | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 46 | Ambala, Haryana | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 47 | Karnal, Haryana | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 48 | Sangrur, Punjab | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 49 | Panipat, Haryana | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 50 | Bathinda, Punjab | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 51 | Sirsa, Haryana | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 52 | Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 53 | Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 54 | Siwan, Bihar | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 55 | Warangal, Telangana | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 56 | Haridwar, Uttarakhand | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 57 | Fatehabad, Haryana | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 58 | Begusarai, Bihar | 46°C | Extreme Hot |
| 59 | Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan | 45°C | Extreme Hot |
| 60 | Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab | 45°C | Extreme Hot |
| 61 | Kulti, West Bengal | 45°C | Extreme Hot |
| 62 | Asansol, West Bengal | 45°C | Extreme Hot |
| 63 | Karimnagar, Telangana | 45°C | Extreme Hot |
| 64 | Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh | 45°C | Extreme Hot |
| 65 | Jind, Haryana | 45°C | Extreme Hot |
| 66 | Bankura, West Bengal | 45°C | Extreme Hot |
| 67 | Durgapur, West Bengal | 45°C | Extreme Hot |
| 68 | Ludhiana, Punjab | 45°C | Extreme Hot |
| 69 | Dhanbad, Jharkhand | 45°C | Extreme Hot |
| 70 | Berhampore, West Bengal | 45°C | Extreme Hot |
| 71 | Hisar, Haryana | 45°C | Extreme Hot |
| 72 | Munger, Bihar | 45°C | Extreme Hot |
| 73 | Baharampur, West Bengal | 45°C | Extreme Hot |
| 74 | Chandigarh, Chandigarh | 45°C | Extreme Hot |
| 75 | Jagtial, Telangana | 45°C | Extreme Hot |
| 76 | Rewa, Madhya Pradesh | 45°C | Extreme Hot |
| 77 | Panchkula, Haryana | 45°C | Extreme Hot |
| 78 | Bhagalpur, Bihar | 45°C | Extreme Hot |
| 79 | Adilabad, Telangana | 45°C | Extreme Hot |
| 80 | Lumbini Sanskritik, Nepal | 45°C | Extreme Hot |
| 81 | Mohali, Punjab | 45°C | Extreme Hot |
| 82 | Jalandhar, Punjab | 45°C | Extreme Hot |
| 83 | Bhiwani, Haryana | 44°C | Extreme Hot |
| 84 | Charkhi Dadri, Haryana | 44°C | Extreme Hot |
| 85 | Nalgonda, Telangana | 44°C | Extreme Hot |
| 86 | Bettiah, Bihar | 44°C | Extreme Hot |
| 87 | Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh | 44°C | Extreme Hot |
| 88 | Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh | 44°C | Extreme Hot |
| 89 | Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh | 44°C | Extreme Hot |
| 90 | Bharatpur, Rajasthan | 44°C | Extreme Hot |
| 91 | Agra, Uttar Pradesh | 44°C | Extreme Hot |
| 92 | Jangaon, Telangana | 44°C | Extreme Hot |
| 93 | Hathras, Uttar Pradesh | 44°C | Extreme Hot |
| 94 | Faridkot, Punjab | 44°C | Extreme Hot |
| 95 | Mathura, Uttar Pradesh | 44°C | Extreme Hot |
| 96 | Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh | 44°C | Extreme Hot |
| 97 | Satna, Madhya Pradesh | 44°C | Extreme Hot |
| 98 | Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh | 44°C | Extreme Hot |
| 99 | Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh | 44°C | Extreme Hot |
| 100 | Motihari, Bihar | 44°C | Extreme Hot |
Climate experts warn that these extreme heat episodes are becoming more frequent and more geographically widespread.
Traditionally hotter pockets like Rajasthan are now being joined by eastern and central Indian regions that previously experienced shorter bursts of extreme temperatures. Recent reports showed cities in Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha also featuring prominently among the hottest places globally.
Unlike isolated heat spikes, the current pattern stretches across multiple states simultaneously, affecting densely populated urban centres as well as smaller districts.
Meteorologists say the combination of dry winds, cloudless skies and delayed pre-monsoon activity has intensified the heatwave.
What makes the current situation particularly alarming is not just the daytime peak, but the absence of relief at night. Several cities are experiencing unusually warm nights, keeping average temperatures elevated for longer periods and increasing health risks, especially for outdoor workers, children and the elderly. Doctors in heatwave-hit regions have reported a rise in dehydration, heat exhaustion and sunstroke cases.
