IMD data reveals record-breaking temperatures and drought conditions, with climate change exacerbating extreme weather patterns

February 2025 has been recorded as the hottest and one of the driest Februarys in India in the last 125 years, according to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The average mean temperature for the month was 22.04°C, marking a 1.5°C rise above normal. It was also the second-highest maximum temperature ever recorded in February, reaching 29.07°C, a deviation of 1.49°C from the usual.

The dry conditions were even more alarming, as the country experienced less than half of the normal rainfall for the month. Central India and South Peninsular India were hit the hardest by the heat and drought, with Central India seeing an average temperature rise of 1.73°C and a 1.94°C increase in maximum temperatures. Rainfall deficits were severe, with Central India facing an 89.3 per cent shortfall, and Northwest India seeing a 64.4 per cent decrease in rainfall.

Experts pointed out that this extreme weather is in line with broader global climate change trends, with 2024 being recorded as the warmest year on record worldwide. Local factors, such as a lack of adequate western disturbances during February 2025, contributed to the unusually hot and dry conditions.

The ongoing trend underscores the urgency of addressing climate change and its local impacts. As the country faces these extreme weather events, experts emphasize the need for urgent action on climate adaptation and mitigation strategies to protect vulnerable regions from such devastating conditions in the future.