Climate India 2026: Extreme Weather on 92% of Days

In news

• The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Down To Earth released "Climate India 2026: An Assessment of Extreme Weather Events" on 4 November 2026.
• It covers January to September 2026 and compares trends since 2022.
• Data sources: India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Disaster Management Division of the Union Home Ministry, and media reports.

Key findings (January–September 2026)

Indicator	Finding
Days with extreme weather	251 of 273 days (92%)
Deaths	3,220
Crop area affected	4.25 million hectares (42.5 lakh hectares)
Monsoon season	Heavy rain, floods or landslides somewhere on all 122 days
Monsoon rainfall	13% below the long-period average
February 2026	Driest February since 1901; fourth-warmest in 125 years

The five-year trend (2022–2026)

• More than 16,000 deaths from extreme weather in five years.
• About 65% of deaths occurred in the last three years.
• 20.6 million hectares of crops affected; over 82% of it in 2024–2026.
• Share of days with extreme weather: 86–88% (2022–23), 93% (2024), 99% (2025), 92% (2026).
• Extreme weather has become a near-daily event, not a rare one.

Where it hit hardest

• Most extreme weather days (2026): Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, each on about 64% of days.
• Most deaths (2026): Uttar Pradesh (811), Maharashtra (286), Bihar (245).
• Most crop damage (2026): Maharashtra (2.83 million hectares).
• Region: Northwest India had extreme weather on 235 days.

Changing seasons

• Warmer winters: fewer cold waves; none in February 2026.
• Early heat: Himachal Pradesh saw a heatwave in early March. Coastal Andhra Pradesh had its earliest heatwave in five years.
• Erratic monsoon: less total rain, but more intense spells. This means both dry spells and flash floods.

Events covered

• Heatwaves and cold waves
• Lightning and thunderstorms
• Heavy rainfall, floods and landslides
• Cyclones, hailstorms, dust storms, snowfall

Why it matters

• Lives: lightning, heat and floods kill the poor and outdoor workers most.
• Food security: crop losses hit farm incomes and push up food prices.
• Economy: damage to houses, roads and power systems.
• Planning: disaster plans built for "rare" events fail when extremes become routine.

What the report suggests

• Shift from disaster response to risk reduction and resilience.
• Better urban drainage and groundwater recharge.
• Restore forests, wetlands and green spaces.
• Better early warnings that reach the last mile.

Static connect

• Extreme weather event: weather far outside normal patterns for a place and season (heatwave, cloudburst, cold wave, cyclone).
• IMD heatwave criteria: maximum temperature of at least 40°C in plains (30°C in hills), and at least 4.5°C above normal.
• Heat Action Plans: first prepared by Ahmedabad (2013); now prepared by many States and cities with NDMA guidance.
• Disaster Management Act, 2005: set up the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), chaired by the Prime Minister.
• National Action Plan on Climate Change (2008): eight national missions, including sustainable agriculture and water.
• Lightning: is not a "notified disaster" for central relief; several States treat it as a State-specific disaster.

Exam relevance: UPSC Prelims and GS-3 (Environment, Disaster management), GS-1 (Geography); TGPSC, APPSC (Environment, Disaster management).