India went through its warmest year on record in 2024
India went through its warmest year in 2024 with the temperature being +0.65°C higher than the long-term average, India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director-General Mrutunjay Mohapatra said on Wednesday.
The IMD has been maintaining the weather record since 1901 and this is so far the highest. It was +0.9°C higher than the previous warmest witnessed in 2016. IMD’s long-term average in this case is from 1970 to 2021.
The country has been going through a climate change since 2001 and over the last few years, the minimum temperature has been rising, said the IMD Director-General addressing the media on the weather outlook for January-March.
Rising min temp
The minimum temperature was the record highest in January, February and from July to October. The mean temperature was the highest in October, said Mohapatra.
The minimum temperature was the highest in the southern peninsula during December and as a result, it received the highest rainfall, he said.
The development on the weather front is in line with the global trend. Globally too, 2024 is expected to have ended as the warmest, according to the EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Mohapatra said rainfall in December was the highest since 2001 in the country and the ninth highest since 1901. The southern peninsula received its second-highest rainfall of 126 mm in 2024. In 1946, it received 153 mm of rainfall.
Excess rain in Dec
Rainfall during the post-monsoon period of October-December varied from month to month. The IMD Director-General said rainfall in October was near normal but it was 55 per cent deficient in November. “In December, rainfall was extremely excess – 73 per above the long-period average (LPA). Overall, during October-December the rainfall was near normal – 3.1 per cent deficient at 117.4 mm against the LPA of 121 mm,” he said.
The temperature in November was above normal in most parts of the country resulting in deficient rainfall. Cold wave in December was subdued, while the intensity of fog was low.
During post-monsoon, the north-west region received 16.5 per cent deficient rainfall, while it was 75.9 per cent deficient in the East and North-East. The Southern Peninsula and the Central regions received 185.8 per cent and 151 per cent excess rainfall, respectively.