Extreme Weather in India

The easterly winds that are known to bring monsoon to Northwest India have been absent in June this year, leading to a tumultuous dry spell in the region. Instead, those winds drifted to Northeast India, leading to floods and wreaking havoc to the lives of many. 

As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), April was said to be the hottest month for northwest/central India and the third-hottest April the country has seen over the past 122 years, from 1901 to 2022. 

The daily high temperatures measured each year have also been increasing at a scary faster rate than daily low, cooler temperatures. This indicates that the distribution of temperature is shifting and changing the “regular” state. 12 of the country’s 15 warmest years on record have occurred in the last 30 years.

This radical change in the weather is alarming news for a country like India, which is heavily dependent on agricultural industries as it contributes 16-20% to GDP, according to Finance Ministry data.

 In a country like India, farmers are heavily dependent on monsoons for irrigating their fields, erratic rainfall and hot summer are the bane of their cultivation. According to a World Bank report, as of 2015, nearly 62% of the agricultural lands in India are dependent on monsoon rains for irrigation.