The average minimum temperature rose 0.90°C above the long-term average for the year, which made India experience its warmest year in India since 1901. As stated by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the country’s annual mean land surface air temperature for 2024 was recorded to be 0.65°C above the baseline period 1991–2020. This is said to be a record-breaking year in terms of rising heat, as it surpassed the previous year of 2016, which had a mean temperature deviation of 0.54°C.
Globally, 2024 was also an alarming year, with average temperatures soaring 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for the first time, according to the European climate agency Copernicus. This marks a critical threshold and signals an accelerating climate crisis.
There came 41 extra days of perilous heat over the globe, posing hazardous conditions to millions. India was no exception with prolonged heatwaves, causing disruption to lives, agriculture, and health systems. Experts caution that this trend will worsen if unchecked global emissions are not curtailed.
Warmest Year in India: Why it Happened?
The warming trends reflect not only regional challenges but also global challenges, stressed IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra. “The warmest year in India is not an isolated phenomenon but part of a global escalation in temperature anomalies,” he said at a virtual press briefing.
Reports by World Weather Attribution and Climate Central emphasized the role of human influence in this crisis. Rapid urbanization, deforestation, and emission of greenhouse gases have increased extreme heat waves, among other natural disasters, touching millions of people around the globe.
It really was very deeply felt in India. Heat waves have affected places like Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai badly. Temperature records of more than 45°C were observed during peak summer months. The agricultural yield had fallen in parts of central and northern India. The energy grid had become quite vulnerable as demand for cooling continued to increase.
This development is an urgent reminder to take climate action seriously. Adoption of renewable energy, carbon reduction, and sustainable urban planning need to be expedited to mitigate future impacts.
As India enters 2025, with the warmest year of India serving as a sobering benchmark of the climate emergency, it requires swift action that decide its future to become sustainable.
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