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India recorded its warmest August since temperature records began in 1901, with the country’s average mean temperature reaching 28.01°C, or 0.67°C above the 1991-2020 average. The record-breaking month came despite August being one of the wettest months of the southwest monsoon, when widespread cloud cover and rainfall would normally help keep temperatures lower. This year, however, below-normal rainfall across large parts of the country and unusually warm nights combined to push temperatures to their highest August level in 125 years.
Record-warm nights drove India’s hottest August
The biggest contributor to the record was not exceptionally high daytime heat alone, but temperatures that remained unusually high after sunset. India’s average minimum temperature in August reached 24.36°C, which was 0.68°C above normal and the highest average night-time temperature recorded for any August since 1901.
By comparison, the country’s average maximum temperature was 31.66°C, ranking as the fourth-highest for August rather than the highest. The figures show how persistently warm nights can raise monthly temperatures even when daytime highs do not break records.
The unusual warmth was particularly pronounced in East and Northeast India, where the average minimum temperature also reached its highest August level on record. South Peninsular India recorded its second-highest mean temperature, while Northwest India recorded its fifth-highest for the month.
Uneven monsoon rainfall failed to keep temperatures down
The rainfall pattern during August played a major role in the exceptional warmth. According to the India Meteorological Department, below-normal rainfall affected many parts of the country, while above-normal temperatures prevailed across most regions. Although some areas experienced intense rainfall, much of it was concentrated over eastern, east-central and northwestern India in short bursts associated with low-pressure systems, depressions and interactions with western disturbances. Large parts of the country also experienced relatively dry or less-rainy periods, allowing temperatures to remain elevated.
India ended August with a 16.3% rainfall deficit, with more than 47% of the country’s 741 districts recording deficient rainfall, according to reports citing IMD data. The weaker monsoon conditions contributed to higher temperatures and reduced the cooling effect that widespread rainfall normally provides during August.
El Niño added pressure to an already weak monsoon
The record heat also came as an El Niño event continued to strengthen over the Pacific, with significantly above-normal sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. The IMD had earlier indicated that El Niño could persist through the monsoon season and influence India’s rainfall and temperature patterns.
El Niño is often associated with disruptions to India’s southwest monsoon, although its effects can vary from year to year and interact with other weather systems. This year, the weakening monsoon and uneven distribution of rainfall have coincided with persistently above-normal temperatures across much of the country.
The heat could continue into September. The IMD has forecast below-normal rainfall for the country during September, the final month of the southwest monsoon, while average maximum temperatures are expected to remain above normal in many areas.
August’s record has highlighted an increasingly important feature of India’s changing climate: extreme heat is not only about scorching afternoons. When nights remain unusually warm, people, ecosystems and infrastructure get less opportunity to recover from daytime heat, pushing average temperatures higher even during what is traditionally one of India’s rainiest months.
References:
https://internal.imd.gov.in/press_release/20260831_pr_5278.pdf
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