2024 warmest year in India since 1901, says IMD

New Delhi: 2024 was the warmest year on record in India since 1901, the India Meteorological Department said here on Wednesday.

The average annual temperature in 2024 was 25.75 degrees Celsius, crossing the normal temperature range by 0.65 degrees Celsius. The previous record was held by 2016 when the average temperature crossed the normal limit by 0.54 degrees Celsius.

“The annual mean land surface air temperature averaged over India during 2024 was +0.65 degrees C above the long-term average (1991-2020 period). The year 2024 was the warmest year on record since 1901. The previous highest warming was observed in 2016,” said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General Meteorology at IMD.

The average maximum temperature (31.25 C) was the fourth highest since 1901 while the average minimum temperature (20.24 C) was the highest in the last 124 years. Each of India’s five warmest years came in the last two decades – 2024, 2016, 2009, 2010 and 2017.

This is in keeping with the global trend as the World Meteorological Organisation is likely to announce the year gone by as the warmest on record, capping a decade of unprecedented heat fuelled by human activities. Greenhouse gas levels continue to grow to record observed highs, locking in even more heat for the future.

Mohapatra said there has been a rising trend in minimum temperature over the years with the winter becoming warmer. In 2024, the maximum warming took place in the post-monsoon and winter seasons.

The IMD chief said La Nina conditions, characterised by cooler Pacific temperatures and usually associated with colder winters in north India, were expected to develop in January but would be short-lived. "It is unlikely to significantly impact the warming trend," an IMD scientist said.

According to the European climate agency Copernicus, 2024 is likely to end as the warmest year globally and the first with average temperatures 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial (1850-1900) levels.

Another report by two independent groups of climate scientists - World Weather Attribution and Climate Central – concluded that the world experienced 41 additional days of dangerous heat in 2024.

Asked about the weather conditions expected at the Maha Kumbh, Mohapatra said temperatures at Prayagraj were expected to drop below after January 9, ahead of the mega congregation. Meanwhile, cold wave conditions persisted in Delhi for the third consecutive day.