2010 warmest year since 1901: IMD

The pre-monsoon season between March and May last year was the hottest time with mean temperatures remaining 1.8 degrees Celsius above normal, said the Annual Climate Summary of India during 2010.

IMD Director General Ajit Tyagi said an analysis has also shown that the mean annual temperatures were generally above normal throughout the country during the year, with the departure from the normal being more pronounced in north and central India.
The departures from the normal were more than one degree Celsius over most parts of northern and central India, while they were between zero and one degree over the rest of the country.

The mean monthly temperature for the country as a whole for March was 2.27 degrees Celsius above the 1961-90 average, for April 2.02 degrees Celsius and for November 1.17 degrees Celsius.

Tyagi said an analysis of decadal variations in temperatures showed that the 2001-2010 period has been the warmest decade with a temperature anomaly of 0.40 degrees Celsius.
The annual total rainfall for the country as a whole was normal during the year 2010 with actual rainfall of 121.5 cm against the long period average of 119.7 cm.