India’s Wild Heatwave: The Decade That Stirred the Nation’s Thermometer
Think of 2023 as the finale of the most scorching decade on record. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) says it was 0.36 °C above the long‑term average, marking it as the hottest span since the first official recordings back in 1901.
Cold‑Case of the Year
- Rain‑driven floods claimed 850 lives.
- Blazing temperatures, spiking up to 51 °C, took another 350 souls.
- Lightning storms and high‑pressure surges ate up 380 people.
- In total, the country lost a week‑long heat‑kill count of over 1,500 folks in 2023.
That’s the seventh‑hottest year ever, but it’s the first in a row for the last four decades, with each decade hotter than the one before.
Chennai’s “Day Zero” Moment
The southern metropolis last year hit “Day Zero” – the day when the oranges in the street gutters went from sparkling water to dry, sparking a small national debate about how long can the city keep flush‑washing itself?
Warm‑Year Wins
- The country’s five warmest years – 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 – all fell in the last decade.
- Out of the top 15 warmest years ever recorded, 11 landed in the past 15 years.
- Calmers: In 2019, an unusually cold spell in northern India in December kept the average from climbing even higher.
Storm Showdown
Last year the Indian Ocean was less churning, with eight cyclones forming over the north Indian Ocean – a dip from the record ten that crept in 1976. Five of those were smack in the Arabian Sea, matching the highest ever in 1902.
Speak of Global Warming
IMD chief Mrityunjay Mohapatra nailed it on the Times of India: “The impact of global warming on India is unmistakable. The past year had extreme weather during all seasons.”
Just a reminder from the United Nations: the last ten years are set to be the planet’s hottest since science started keeping a diary. Each decade’s warmer than the last, and India is right in the thick of it.
