The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has announced that 2024 marked the hottest year in India since records began in 1901. The average minimum temperature increased by 0.90 degrees Celsius above the long-term average, leading to an annual mean temperature of 25.75 degrees Celsius, which is 0.65 degrees higher than the typical figure. The average maximum temperature reached 31.25 degrees Celsius, slightly exceeding normal levels, while the minimum temperature recorded a historic high of 20.24 degrees Celsius. On a global scale, the European climate agency Copernicus has indicated that 2024 is likely to be the warmest year on record, with global temperatures averaging 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, reflecting a substantial increase in heat across the planet. In comparison to prior years, 2024 eclipsed the previous record set in 2016, when the mean surface air temperature was 0.54 degrees Celsius above the norm. The IMD highlighted that the months of July, August, September, and October experienced the highest average minimum temperatures ever documented, with February also ranking as the second highest.
A report from World Weather Attribution and Climate Central indicated that in 2024, there were 41 additional days characterized by extreme heat on a global scale. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) raised alarms regarding the increasing minimum temperatures in India during the post-monsoon and winter periods.The IMD has noted the potential for short-lived La Niña conditions to emerge in January 2025, which typically result in cooler winters for northern India. Nevertheless, an IMD scientist remarked that such conditions are unlikely to have a substantial impact on the prevailing global warming trend. Experts have cautioned that global temperatures are now consistently exceeding the Paris Agreement’s limit of a 1.5-degree Celsius rise, a situation exacerbated by rising greenhouse gas emissions. Long-term observations reveal a steady increase in minimum temperatures across much of India.
