According to a report by eldoradoweather, a global weather monitoring platform, on the afternoon of March 17, Chauk and Magway cities in Myanmar are among the world’s 15 hottest cities, with Chauk ranking second.

Chauk and Magway, both located in Magway Region, are ranked second and thirteenth, respectively. Chauk recorded a temperature of 44.3°C, placing it just slightly below Tillabéri, Niger, which is currently the hottest city in the world. Meanwhile, Magway recorded a temperature of 43.2°C, securing the thirteenth spot.

The list of the world’s hottest cities includes four cities from Niger, two cities each from Myanmar and Mali, three cities from Burkina Faso, two cities from Senegal, and one city each from Togo and Cameroon.

Despite the high temperatures, meteorologist U Win Naing stated that the rising temperatures in seven regions, including Naypyidaw, are not considered a heatwave or an unusual spike in heat. He explained that such temperatures are typical during the summer season (March to May) in these areas.

On his social media page, U Win Naing wrote, “Between March 14 and 20, daytime temperatures in Yangon Region, Ayeyarwady Region, Bago Region, Naypyidaw, Magway Region, Mandalay Region, and lower Sagaing Region could rise to between 39°C and 40°C or higher. However, this is a normal seasonal increase in temperature during the summer months (March to May) and does not indicate a heatwave or an extraordinary rise in temperature.”