2024 warmest year in India since 1901: IMD
What's the story
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has announced 2024 as India's warmest year since records began in 1901. The average minimum temperature was 0.90°C above the long-period average, while the annual mean land surface air temperature was 0.65°C above the long-term average (1991-2020 period). Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director general of IMD, presented the data during a virtual press briefing on Wednesday.
Record broken
2024 surpasses previous temperature record set in 2016
The year 2024 has broken the previous temperature record of 2016 when the mean land surface air temperature was 0.54°C above normal. This is according to the European climate agency Copernicus, which indicates that 2024 likely ended as the warmest year on the planet. It was also the first year where global average temperatures hit a milestone 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
Rising temperatures
Global heat days increase in 2024
A yearly review by World Weather Attribution and Climate Central found that the number of dangerous heat days across the globe shot up in 2024. The world saw an average of 41 additional days of dangerous heat than usual. This surge in global temperatures and longer stretches of extreme heat is in line with persistent fears of climate change and its effects on weather across the globe.