Temperature Trends in India
6 hours ago
- #india-warming
- #climate-change
- #temperature-trends
- Global temperatures have risen approximately 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels, with the past decade being the warmest on record.
- India's warming mirrors global trends, with the past decade as the hottest on record and 2024 as the warmest year in over a century, impacting agriculture, water security, and health.
- India's mean temperature increased by about 0.9°C from 1901 to 2024, with accelerated warming since the 1990s and the highest mean temperature of 25.7°C in 2024.
- Minimum temperatures have risen slightly more (+0.97°C) than maximum temperatures (+0.88°C), narrowing the daily temperature range, consistent with climate change patterns.
- Temperature anomalies, calculated relative to baselines like 1991-2020, show a persistent upward trend, with recent decades predominantly positive and 2024 being the warmest year at +0.65°C above the baseline.
- Warming is not uniform; maximum temperature anomalies are rising faster, increasing heat stress, while night-time temperatures often match or exceed daytime anomalies relative to the baseline.
- Climate change is distinguished from climate variability by a persistent, long-term shift in temperature over decades, driven primarily by human-induced greenhouse gas increases.
- The IMD uses high-resolution gridded data from quality-controlled stations and follows WMO guidelines, with the 1991-2020 period as the current standard climatological normal.