India sees second-warmest November since 1901, says IMD

India recorded its second-warmest November in 123 years, with the average monthly maximum temperature reaching 29.37 degrees Celsius, said the India Meteorological Department on Monday, reported The Indian Express.

The average maximum temperature for November 2024 was higher than normal by 0.62 degrees Celsius. The average minimum temperature, too, was higher than normal by 1.05 degrees Celsius.

Mercury has been on the rise after the monsoon season in October. If the trend continues, 2024 could become the warmest year on record globally.

In India, the above-normal temperature has been attributed to a lack of strong western disturbances affecting the plains of northwest parts of the country, and the lack of cyclonic disturbances, The Indian Express quoted meteorologists as saying.

Both factors have contributed to rainfall activity being at its lowest in November.

Northwest India saw a rainfall deficit of 79.9%, while in southern peninsular India, some areas which benefit from the northeast monsoon suffered a rainfall deficit of 37.9%.

Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, the India Meteorological Department’s director general, told The Indian Express that the dip in rainfall during November was becoming a well-established phenomenon in India over the past 20 years.

The weather department’s rainfall data between 2001 and 2024 shows that India received normal or above rainfall in November only for six out of 24 years.

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