Heatwave alert: IMD issues fresh warning, predicts 2024 will be hottest on record

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday said that 2024 could be the hottest year on record and can surpass 2023, which was marked as the warmest year on record in terms of temperature. The Met Department has predicted that the temperatures will increase significantly by May, and this could result in severe heatwaves, especially in North and Central India. This forecast is based on the position of the Sun, which is likely to intensify the heat in these regions.

The IMD has already issued a red alert for some places in West Bengal and Odisha till the end of April. An orange alert has been issued for sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Bihar and parts of Karnataka.

Hot and humid weather is also forecasted in Tripura, Kerala & Mahe, Coastal Karnataka, and various other regions during the majority of the week.

The Met department said: “Heatwave to severe heat wave conditions likely to continue over East and south peninsular India during the next five days. A fresh spell of rainfall accompanied with thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds is likely over the western Himalayan region between April 27 and 29, the plains of northwest India between April 26 and 28, and adjoining Central India between April 26 and 27." 

The year 2023 was the warmest year since global records began in 1850 at 1.18°C (2.12°F) above the 20th-century average of 13.9°C (57.0°F). This value is 0.15°C (0.27°F) more than the previous record set in 2016. The 10 warmest years in the 174-year record have all occurred during the last decade (2014–2023).

IMD said for India, 2023 was the second warmest year in 122 years. The warmest year ever recorded during this period was 2016.

The annual mean surface air temperature averaged over the country last year was 0.65 degrees Celsius (1981-2010 period) whereas the same was 0.71 degrees Celsius in 2016, IMD officials said.