State of the Climate Report 2020

News: India Meteorological Department (IMD) has released the State of the Climate Report, 2020.The report looks at temperature and rainfall trends annually.

Facts:

Key Takeaways from the Report: 

• Eighth Warmest Year: The year 2020 was the eighth warmest since India started keeping records in 1901.
• Warmest Decade: 12 out of the 15 warmest years were reported between 2006 and 2020 and that the past decade (2011-2020) was the warmest on record.
• Temperature: During the year, the annual average temperature in the country was 0.29 degree Celsius (°C) above normal (29-year average from 1981-2010).
  • However, it was much lower than 2016 (+0.71 degrees Celsius), which remains the warmest ever year the country has recorded since 1901.
• Rainfall: The annual rainfall over the country in 2020 was 109% of the Long Period Average (LPA) calculated for the period of 1961-2010.
• Cyclones: Five cyclones formed over the North Indian Ocean in 2020 including the super cyclonic Storm AMPHAN, Very Severe Cyclonic Storms NIVAR & GATI, Severe Cyclonic Storm NISARGA, and Cyclonic Storm ‘BUREVI’. Among these, NISARGA & GATI formed over Arabian Sea while the remaining three cyclones formed over the Bay of Bengal.
• Loss due to Natural Disasters: Bihar & Uttar Pradesh were the most adversely affected States by natural disasters during the year which claimed more than 350 deaths from each State mainly due to thunderstorm, lightning and cold waves.

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