India Records Warmest August in 123 Years: IMD

New Delhi: India experienced its warmest August since 1901, with the all-India average monthly minimum temperature reaching a record 24.29 degrees Celsius, surpassing the normal 23.68 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Multiple favourable weather factors on local, regional and global scales kept the southwest monsoon active throughout August, resulting in six low-pressure systems, one of which intensified into the rare Cyclone Asna in the Arabian Sea on August 30.

Persistent rainfall and cloudy conditions pushed minimum temperatures above normal, particularly in central India, according to IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra. The country recorded a total of 16.5 low-pressure-affected days in August.

Southern Peninsular India and Central India experienced their warmest August in 123 years, with Southern India receiving 203.4 mm of rainfall (6.6% surplus) and a minimum temperature of 24.12 degrees Celsius, while Central India recorded 359.6 mm of rainfall (16.5% surplus) and a minimum temperature of 24.26 degrees Celsius. The month was also the fourth warmest for East, Northeast and Northwest India.

All-India rainfall for August ended with a surplus of 15.3%, making it the second-highest August rainfall since 2019. Over the three months of the southwest monsoon season, the country recorded 749 mm of rainfall, a 7% surplus.