The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported that 2024 would be the warmest year ever recorded in climatic history, rounding off an unprecedented warm chapter of 10 years attributed purely to human-induced factors.
IMD reported that in 2024, India recorded the highest temperature in over 120 years above the temperatures recorded in 1901. The average maximum temperature stood at 31.25 degrees Celsius which was above normal by 0.20 degrees, and, on the average, the minimum temperature would touch 20.24 degrees Celsius, which exceeded normal by 0.90 degrees.
India faced an unprecedented high temperature through 2024 according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). In a statement released on 1 Jan, the IMD reported an annual average of minimum temperature 0.90 degrees Celsius above the long-term average.
Record Breaking Temperature
The annual mean 2024 temperature stood at 25.75 degrees Celsius, which was 0.65 degrees Celsius above the normal. The average maximum temperature stood at 31.25 degrees Celsius, which is 0.20 degrees Celsius above normal, while the average minimum temperature reached 20.24 degrees Celsius, exceeding the norm by 0.90 degrees Celsius, as confirmed by IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra.
India was literally scorched by the longest heat waves ever registered last year, with temperatures soaring over 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit).
In May, temperatures in New Delhi reached a peak of 49.6 degrees Celsius (120.5 degrees Fahrenheit), matching the record for the city’s warmest-ever day, recorded in 2022.
India is the world’s third-biggest greenhouse gas emitter, but by 2070, it has announced net zero in the economy; 20 years later than the majority of industrialised Western societies.
For the moment, it remains principally dependent on coal for power generation.
Though global warming sparked mainly by fossil fuel burning is about temperature increase, it is also about all of the other effects of all that extra heat in the atmosphere and in the oceans.
The warmer air holds more water vapor and the warmer oceans allow for greater evaporation, producing more powerful rains and storms.
Heatwaves have had a much-reaching impact on public health:
Heat-Related Deaths: Reports from government databases counted almost 400 deaths during the period between March and July, while independent estimates offered by HeatWatch figured the toll to be above 700.
Medical Emergencies: Reports indicate that over 40,000 people sought medical treatment for heat-related illnesses, including heat-strokes and dehydration.
Animal Effects: Extreme conditions affected birds and animals, with reports of birds falling out of the sky with dehydration.
Admittance to hospitals across the country increased quickly, with the exceptions of heat stroke and heat-related injuries in admitting emergency departments. In one instance, 41°C body temperature was recorded on a patient whose condition required comprehensive cooling systems to bring it down.
