RAS question
Which place in Rajasthan is known to record the highest summer temperatures in India, sometimes exceeding 50°C?
Correct answer: (A) Phalodi (Jodhpur).
Phalodi in Rajasthan is known for India's highest summer temperature, having recorded 51.0°C on 19 May 2016.
Explanation
Phalodi is the answer because the India Meteorological Department's Annual Report 2016 records that, during the severe heat waves of April and May 2016, several stations broke their previous highest-maximum-temperature records, including Phalodi in western Rajasthan at 51.0°C on 19 May 2016. The Rajasthan-geography reason is also important: Phalodi lies in the western Thar region, where an extreme continental climate produces very high daily and annual temperature ranges. So the question is not asking for a generally hot desert town; it is pointing to the specific Indian temperature record associated with Phalodi.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Bikaner is a hot Rajasthan location, but the 51.0°C record is specifically reported for Phalodi, not Bikaner.
- (C) Jaisalmer also experiences intense Thar heat, but the record temperature belongs to Phalodi.
- (D) Barmer is hot, but the stated 51.0°C highest-ever temperature on 19 May 2016 was recorded at Phalodi.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan climatology, especially extreme continental conditions in the western Thar region and the spatial pattern of summer heat. It recurs in RAS because location-specific climate records turn physical geography into directly testable state facts.