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Temperature Regime of Rajasthan
5.1 Summer Season (— March to June)
- By March, maximum temperatures in western Rajasthan cross 35°C
- By May–June, western Rajasthan regularly records 45–51°C
- Loo — the hot, dry, dust-laden wind blowing SW to NE — begins in April and peaks in May–June
- Wind speed: 30–70 km/h; temperature: 45–50°C; relative humidity <10%
- Causes heat strokes, crop wilting, and accelerates soil moisture evaporation
- Most deadly in Bikaner, Jodhpur, Churu, Nagaur belt
- Dust storms: vertical convective columns rise 300–1,000 m; reduce visibility to near zero; average 30–40 per year in western Rajasthan
Temperature Records (Summer):
| Station | District | Record Max | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phalodi | Jodhpur | 51.0°C (India's all-time record) | May 19, 2016 |
| Churu | Churu | 50.8°C | May 22, 2019 |
| Bikaner | Bikaner | 50.6°C | May 2019 |
| Jaisalmer | Jaisalmer | 50.5°C | May 2019 |
| Sri Ganganagar | Sri Ganganagar | 50.0°C | — |
Source: India Meteorological Department (IMD), Heat Wave Bulletins
5.2 Winter Season (— December to February)
- Cold wave conditions: temperature drops to 0–5°C in northern and western Rajasthan; frost in Churu, Sikar, Bikaner, Ganganagar
- Fatehpur-Sikar belt: consistently coldest inhabited area; minimum temperatures regularly below 0°C
- Mt. Abu: receives occasional snowfall; minimum can reach 0–2°C
- Western Rajasthan paradox: despite extreme summer heat, winters are bitingly cold due to:
- Clear cloudless skies → rapid radiation cooling at night
- Low humidity → no moisture retention
- Cold air drainage from northwest (post-Western Disturbances)
Cold Records (Winter):
| Station | District | Record Min |
|---|---|---|
| Fatehpur | Sikar | -8.8°C (January 1964) |
| Churu | Churu | -5.8°C |
| Bikaner | Bikaner | -3.9°C |
| Mt. Abu | Sirohi | -2°C (frost conditions) |
Source: IMD Historical Climate Records
5.3 The Churu Paradox
Churu deserves special mention as the climate extreme capital of India: it holds the distinction of recording among the highest summer temperatures in India and near-freezing winter temperatures in the same geographic location. The 2019 heat wave brought Churu to 50.8°C (June 2019) while January temperatures in the same city regularly fall to -2 to -5°C. This ~55°C annual range is one of the largest for any inhabited city in South Asia, explained entirely by Rajasthan's hyper-continental interior location.