2024 Warmest Year In India Since 1901, Surpasses 2016 Temperature Records: IMD

The IMD chief said that the average minimum temperature was the highest on record for July, August, September, and October, and the second highest for February. 

IMD has said that the year 2024 has become the warmest year in India since 1901.

Source : PTI

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday said that the year 2024 was the warmest on record in India since 1901, with the minimum temperature settling 0.90 degrees Celsius above the long-period average.  

In 2024, the annual mean temperature was 25.75 degrees Celsius, which was 0.65 degrees above the long-period average.

According to IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, the average maximum temperature was recorded at 31.25 degrees Celsius, 0.20 degrees above normal. Meanwhile, the average minimum temperature was 0.90 degrees above normal at 20.24 degrees Celsius.

The IMD chief said that the average minimum temperature was the highest on record for July, August, September, and October, and the second highest for February. 

2024 has even surpassed 2016 when the mean land surface air temperature was recorded 0.54 degrees Celsius above normal, making it the warmest year since 1901. According to the European climate agency Copernicus, the year 2024 also likely ended as the warmest year globally. It was also the first year with average temperatures 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial (1850-1900) levels.

A yearly review by World Weather Attribution and Climate Central, two independent groups of climate scientists,. said the world experienced 41 additional days of dangerous heat in 2024.

Mohapatra also stated the rise in minimum temperatures was "quite high" in 2024. "Long-term data shows most parts of the country are witnessing a rising trend in minimum temperatures, particularly in post-monsoon and winter seasons," he said.

The IMD said La Nina conditions, characterised by cooler ocean surface temperatures in the central Pacific Ocean and usually associated with colder winters in northern parts of India, were likely to develop in January but would not last long. "It is unlikely to significantly impact the warming trend," an IMD scientist told news agency PTI.

In June 2023, the monthly global temperature crossed the 1.5-degree threshold, a trend that lasted throughout the year, except for July 2024. The Paris Agreement states that a permanent breach of the 1.5-degree limit refers to sustained warming over a period of 20-30 years.

Experts have also warned that the world is likely entering a phase when the temperatures will consistently exceed this threshold.

The global average temperature has already increased by 1.3 degrees Celsius as compared to the 1850-1900 baseline due to the rapid accumulation of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere.