2010-2019 hottest decade in India; 2019 7th warmest year in 119 years

NEW DELHI: Heat from rising global temperatures is also singeing India, which experienced its warmest decade (2010-2019) on record, with temperatures in the country 0.36°C higher than average, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The past year was also the seventh warmest on record and was the 22nd straight year of higher-than-average annual temperatures across the country, IMD's statement on climate of India during 2019, released on Monday, said.

In a sign that India was warming in pace with the accelerated rate of global warming in recent years, the average temperature during 2010-2019 was significantly higher than the 0.23°C warming recorded in the previous decade.

"The impact of global warming on India is unmistakable," IMD head Mrityunjay Mohapatra said.

It is also leading to weather extremes, which were quite in evidence in 2019," said Mrityunjay Mohapatra, head of IMD. The warmest year in India on record was 2016, when the mean temperature in the country was 0.71°C higher than average, with the first half of the year affected by El Niño conditions. The warming of 0.36°C in 2019 was significantly lower than that, partly because of record cold conditions in north India in December, but it was yet another exceptionally warm year as compared to historical annual mean temperatures in India.

"The past year had extreme weather during all seasons. There were strong heat waves in Bihar, Jharkhand and Maharashtra, the highest monsoon rainfall across India in 25 years, record number of cyclones over the Arabian Sea, followed by record daytime chill in north India in December. India had a high number of deaths due to lightning and thunderstorms as well," Mohapatra said.

The global mean temperature during the first 10 months of 2019 was 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels, according to the World Meteorological Organisation. It said that the past year is likely to be the second or third warmest year on record.