India’s Hottest Year Yet: Extreme Weather Events Claim Over 3,200 Lives in 2024

India’s Hottest Year – In 2024, India experienced over 3,200 deaths due to extreme Weather Events notably lightning and thunderstorm claimed 1374 lives floods and heavy rain .

NEW DELHI: Extreme weather events NEW DELHI: Extreme weather events caused over 3,200 deaths in the country in 2024 – the warmest year on record in India, with lightning and thunderstorms taking the highest number of lives (1,374) followed by floods and heavy rains (1,287) and heat wave (459), shows the India Meteorological department IMD) Annual Climate Summary – 2024, released on Wednesday.

India’s Hottest Year caused 3200+ deaths

The year 2024 marked a grim milestone as India experienced its hottest year since record-keeping began in 1901, with extreme weather events claiming over 3,200 lives, according to the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Annual Climate Summary.

Lightning and thunderstorms led the fatalities, accounting for 1,374 deaths, followed by floods and heavy rains (1,287) and heatwaves (459).

Bihar bore the brunt of lightning strikes, while Kerala suffered the most casualties from floods and heavy rains. Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra also ranked among the top states reporting significant casualties.

The IMD report highlighted alarming regional variations in warming, with the national average annual temperature rise pegged at +0.65°C above the long-term average. Certain states, including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Bihar, and Kerala, experienced temperature anomalies exceeding 1°C.

In fact, 2024 saw above-normal temperatures in all four seasons. The post-monsoon period (October to December) was the warmest since 1901, with an increase of 0.83°C, underscoring a worrying trend of intensifying climate extremes.

Several cities broke historical temperature records in 2024, with Rajasthan’s Churu recording a blistering 50.5°C, followed by Ganganagar (49.4°C) and Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi (47.8°C). Rainfall extremes also shattered records. Porbandar in Gujarat received a staggering 485.8 mm of rainfall in a single day on July 19, setting a new high, with Puducherry (483.7 mm) and Dwarka (418.6 mm) not far behind.

IMD’s data for the 1901–2024 period revealed a significant warming trend, with average annual temperatures increasing by 0.68°C per century. Daytime temperatures rose faster (+0.89°C per century) compared to nighttime temperatures (+0.46°C per century), a pattern indicative of intensifying heatwaves.

The IMD’s findings, released on its 150th foundation day, underscore the urgent need for robust climate adaptation and mitigation measures. With rising temperatures exacerbating the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, the human and economic toll is set to climb unless decisive action is taken.

As India faces the dual challenges of mitigating climate change and protecting its vulnerable populations, 2024 serves as a stark reminder of the price of inaction.

With Thanks and Reference to:https://weather.com/en-IN/india/news/news/2025-01-16-extreme-weather-events-claim-over-3200-lives-in-india-in-2024 and https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/imd-extreme-weather-events-caused-3200-deaths-in-2024/articleshow/117278666.cms