The desert areas of Sudan, Chad, Iran or the Middle East should be named in the list of 100 hottest cities in the world. But the surprising truth is that out of this entire list, 97 cities are from India alone. This is not a joke, but the terrible truth of May 2026 which has scorched the entire country. In cities like Balangir, Sasaram, Banda and Varanasi the mercury has crossed 48 degrees Celsius. The situation is so bad that so far more than 37 people have lost their lives due to heatwave in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

This story is not just about fire raining from the sky, this is the story of the last battle of our body, which it is fighting against the scorching heat. Let us understand what temperature our body can withstand in this record-breaking heat, how heat kills our lives and how we can save ourselves and our loved ones from this disaster…

India occupies the world’s hottest list: 97 cities, a story

The picture presented by the live data of AQI.in on the afternoon of 22 May 2026 was scary. Of the 100 hottest cities in the world, 97 were in India. Balangir (Odisha) and Sasaram (Bihar) recorded temperatures of 48 degrees Celsius, while Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) stood third with 47 degrees Celsius. Humidity levels in these cities were between 6 to 8 percent, putting the conditions in the ‘extreme hot’ category.

The thing to note is that the remaining three cities in this list were also from India’s neighboring country Nepal – Dhangadhi, Nepalganj and Lumbini Sanskritik. Meaning the Indian subcontinent was experiencing the maximum heat in the entire world. This is not the first time. Last week on May 19, the situation was even more serious, when all the 100 hottest cities in the world were in India. Auraiya, Banda and Etawah (all three in Uttar Pradesh) were on top with 46 degrees Celsius.

After all, how much heat can the human body withstand?

This question might have come to your mind too. The answer lies not just in the number written on the thermometer, but in a special term – ‘wet-bulb temperature’.

Wet-bulb temperature is actually a dangerous combination of temperature and humidity that completely shuts down our body’s ability to cool itself. Usually our body keeps itself cool by evaporating sweat. But when there is too much moisture in the air, sweat does not dry, body heat cannot escape and the body temperature continues to rise.

It was long believed that a wet-bulb temperature of 35 °C (equivalent to 35 °C at 100% humidity or 46 °C at 50% humidity) was the limit beyond which the human body could no longer cool itself. But a shocking research by Penn State University broke this myth. In their PSU HEAT project, when young and healthy people were exposed to different temperatures and humidity, it was found that the body’s ability to remain cool begins to decline much earlier at 35 degrees Celsius.

According to new research, this dangerous limit starts only at 31 degree Celsius wet-bulb temperature.

Understand it like this- If the humidity is 100% then a normal temperature of 31 degrees Celsius and if the humidity is 60% then even a normal temperature of 38 degrees Celsius can be fatal. ‘Our research shows that the dangerous combination of heat and humidity can become fatal more quickly than scientists previously thought.’

How does death occur due to heat?

The biggest cause of death due to heat is heatstroke, that is, the body temperature increases so much that the organs stop functioning. But did you know that heat kills in three different ways?

1. Heatstroke: When brain and organs all fail. When the internal temperature of the body crosses 40 degrees Celsius, heatstroke occurs. Professor Oli J of the University of Sydney explains that during this time the body diverts the blood stream towards the skin to cool down. The result is that blood and oxygen stops reaching the intestines and stomach. outcome? The toxins present in the intestines start leaking into the blood. ‘It starts a chain reaction. Blood clots start forming in the entire body, organs start failing one after the other and ultimately death occurs.
2. Deadly pressure on the heart: Neil Gandhi, director of emergency medicine at Houston Methodist Hospital, says that during the summer he often sees patients whose body temperature reaches above 104 or 105 degrees Fahrenheit. ‘If it increases by just a few degrees, there is a very high risk of death of such a patient.’ To keep the body cool in summer, the heart has to work many times harder than normal. According to Professor JK, ‘You are making your heart do much more work than usual. For someone who already has heart disease, it’s like trying to run with a bad hamstring. Something will definitely break.
3. Dehydration: So much water is lost from the body through sweat that it puts tremendous pressure on the kidneys. Professor Renee Salas of Harvard University says, ‘Dehydration can turn into shock, due to which blood, oxygen and nutrients stop reaching the organs. This can cause seizures and death. Apart from this, heat also has a direct effect on the brain. Due to this the person becomes confused, loses the power to think and understand and may become unconscious.

So far, about 37-40 deaths have been recorded due to heatwave across India in government records. But this figure is much less than the actual figure. According to a report in The Times of India, many deaths that occur due to heat (such as heart attacks) are never counted as heatwave deaths. Al Jazeera’s report shows that most of the deaths due to heat in the country are not recorded. The actual number of deaths is much higher than this.

So how to avoid heat death?

The government has issued clear guidelines to protect yourself from this scorching heat:

• Drink adequate amount of water, even if you do not feel thirsty.
• Wear light colored loose fitting cotton clothes.
• While going out, cover your head with cloth, scarf, cap or umbrella.
• Take home drinks like ORS, buttermilk, lemonade, salty lassi and coconut water.
• Eat things like raw onion, raw mango, salt and cumin, which protect you from heat stroke.

Apart from this, do not forget to:

• Do not go out between 12 noon and 3 pm.
• Avoid tea, coffee, alcohol and cold drinks. They reduce body water rapidly.
• Do not eat high protein, fried, spicy and stale food.
• Do not leave children or pets alone in a parked vehicle.
• Do not go out barefoot.

When will we get relief from the heat?

According to IMD, there is no sign of relief at present. The heatwave will continue in most parts of the country till May 28. There is an orange alert of ‘severe heatwave’ for Delhi between May 25 and 27, in which the temperature can go up to 44 to 46 degrees Celsius. Red alert has been issued for Eastern Uttar Pradesh. IMD says that after May 28, due to strong storm and rain in many areas, the temperature may drop by 2 to 5 degrees Celsius.

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