‘Climate of India during 2021’ report.

21 January 2022.

Introduction:

Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) published its “Climate of India during 2021” report on January 21, 2022.

Highlights:

As per report, year 2021 was the fifth warmest year in India since country-wide records started in India in 1901.
India reported a loss of 1,750 lives because of extreme weather events in 2021.
Maharashtra was the most adversely affected state, with 350 deaths.
Among extreme weather events, lightning & thunderstorms was responsible for highest 787 lives followed by floods, heavy rains, and landslides, causing deaths of 759 people.
Cyclones was responsible for 172 deaths in different states in 2021.

On warming phenomena, report finds that, 11 out of 15 warmest years in the India were during last fifteen years that is, 2007 to 2021.
Highest warming was observed during 2016. The year reported warming of 0.71 degree Celsius above “long period average (LPA)” based on 1981-2010 period.

In India, the annual mean land surface air temperature during 2021 was 0.44 degree C above the LPA. Winter (January to February) with mean temperature anomalies of +0.78 degree C and post-monsoon (October to December) with mean temperature anomalies of +0.42 degree C mainly contributed to this warming.
The all-India mean temperatures during other seasons like pre-monsoon (March to May) and monsoon (June to September) were also reported “above normal” with mean temperature anomalies of +0.35 degree C and +0.34 degree C, respectively.

The annual mean temperature in India during 1901-2021 witnessed an increasing trend of 0.63 degree C per 100 years.
India’s mean surface temperature seems to be in sync with increase in the global mean surface temperature.

2021 annual rainfall over India as a whole was 105% of its LPA, based on 1961-2010 period.
The southwest monsoon season rainfall over India as a whole was ‘normal’ at 99% of its LPA while northeast or post monsoon season (October-December) rainfall was ‘above normal’ at 144% of LPA.

The IMD also compiled the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) in its annual report. SPI is used to monitor drought conditions based on precipitation.
The index is negative for dry while positive for wet conditions.
The cumulative SPI values in past twelve months of 2021 highlights “extremely wet – severely wet conditions” in parts of A & N Islands, West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, East Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh, Delhi etc. “Extremely dry – severely dry” conditions were observed across Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur etc.

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