NEW DELHI, Jan 24 (Reuters) – Following the warmest year on record in 2024, January 2025 is off to an unseasonably warm start across India, with temperatures soaring above 26 degrees Celsius. Meteorologists point to dry westerly winds and bright sunshine as contributing factors, a phenomenon they describe as “disappearing spring.”
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that minimum night temperatures were “markedly above normal”—by at least 5 degrees Celsius—in East Madhya Pradesh and East Rajasthan. In many parts of the Indo-Gangetic plains, Central and West India, Assam, Meghalaya, and isolated areas of Kerala, Delhi, and Tamil Nadu, temperatures were up by 3-5 degrees Celsius. “The lowest minimum temperature in the plains was recorded at 6.1 degrees Celsius in Amritsar, Punjab,” the IMD said.
A slight dip in temperatures is expected later this week, with the influence of a western disturbance and a cyclonic circulation over southwest Madhya Pradesh likely to bring light rain or snow to the Western Himalayan Region. As the western disturbance moves away, the IMD forecasts a “gradual fall in minimum temperatures by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius over Northwest India in the next three days, with no significant change thereafter.”
Despite this, meteorologists say severe cold is unlikely to return this winter. The unseasonal warmth reflects broader climate change trends, experts say, with shifts in seasonal patterns becoming more pronounced. “Rains and snow may bring a temporary drop in temperatures, but the typical winter chill remains elusive,” a senior meteorologist noted.
India has witnessed increasingly erratic weather in recent years, raising concerns about the long-term impacts of global warming on agriculture, water resources, and public health.
