Indian Landmass Warmed 0.9C, Cyclone Intensity Up 40 Percent

The Indian landmass was on average 0.9 degrees Celsius warmer during 2015-2024 compared to the early 20th century baseline, with parts of north India warming at 0.2 degrees per decade over the past three decades, according to the State of India's Environment 2026 report. Temperature extremes, cyclone intensity, sea level rise, and glacier melt are all accelerating, with compound heat-drought events emerging as a major new risk.

Most parts of India have seen warm days increase by five to ten days per decade since 1995, with the northwest particularly vulnerable. Large parts of northwest India have experienced rainfall increases of 60-120 mm per decade since the 1950s, while the Indo-Gangetic Plain and northeast India show sharp decreases. Cyclones in the pre-monsoon period (April-May) have intensified by 40 per cent in terms of wind speeds over recent decades, with sea surface temperatures at cyclogenesis 1.2-1.4 degrees Celsius higher than four decades ago. The Arabian Sea is experiencing more frequent and stronger cyclones as a result.

The Hindu Kush Himalayas are warming at 0.28 degrees Celsius per decade during 1951-2020, with regions above 4,000 metres warming even faster at 0.34 degrees per decade. India has 9,775 glaciers covering 71,782 km2 across the Indus-Ganga and Brahmaputra basins. Marine heatwaves in the Indian Ocean are projected to increase from 20 days per year during 1970-2000 to 200 days per year by 2050. Sea levels over the north Indian Ocean have risen at 3.3 mm per year from 1993-2015, with a 2-3 fold increase in extreme sea level occurrences between 1995 and 2019.

The report identifies compound heatwave-drought events as a significant and growing threat, with north-central, western, northeastern India, and southeastern coastlines emerging as hotspots. Several parts of the country face serious consequences for human health and agricultural sustainability. The authors, drawn from Pune University, Krea University and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, urge regionally tailored adaptation strategies that address exposure and vulnerability of local communities. They stress that India's reliance on agricultural output makes the changing monsoon and the drying of the Indo-Gangetic Plain matters of national food security.

Key figure — Cyclone intensity up 40% in pre-monsoon period (April-May) over recent decades