SIMPLY PUT: Extreme weather is the new normal in India

Heatwaves somewhere, floods in other parts of the country – India has witnessed extreme weather patterns in 2022 and we are only just halfway through the year.


Erratic monsoon in India

India is witnessing erratic rainfall after suffering from intense heat waves in April.

On one hand, Assam has received too much rainfall and on the other, Jharkhand has received around half of what it’s due.

The easterly winds that bring monsoon to the Northwest India have been absent in June this year, leading to a dry spell in the region. Instead, those winds drifted to Northeast India, leading to floods.

As June came to an end, as per IMD, Southwest monsoon advanced into entire Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmiri, some parts of Rajasthan, entire Delhi, some parts of Punjab and Haryana on Thursday.

According to the latest EcoScope report from research firm Motilal Oswal, India’s cumulative rainfall has a reported deficit of 7% as of June 26, 2022 after reporting a surplus of 20% in 2021 and 22% in 2020.

The deficiency of rainfall is because the northwestern, central and southern parts of India have a shortfall of rains, suggesting that the issue is a lot more widespread than initially expected.


A see-saw summer

From long dry spells to excessive rainfall, 2022 has been a year of extremes so far.

As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), April was the hottest month for northwest and central India and the third-hottest April the country has seen over the past 122 years, from 1901 to 2022.

The daily high temperatures measured each year have also been increasing at a faster rate than daily low temperatures. This indicates that the distribution of temperature is shifting and changing the ‘normal’ state. In fact, 12 of the country’s 15 warmest years on record have occurred in the last 30 years.


These recurring patterns of intense hot spells and erratic rainfall could be a sign of climate change and global warming.

Our country is also expected to suffer through more frequent and intense hot spells, extreme rainfall and erratic monsoons in the coming decades as the planet warms, said United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel, a body for assessing science related to climate change.

Cascading impacts of climate change

This radical change in the weather is not good news for a country like India, which is heavily dependent on agriculture as it contributes 16-20% to GDP, according to Finance Ministry data.

In a country like India farmers are heavily dependent on monsoons for irrigating their fields, erratic rainfall and hot summer are the bane for their cultivation. According to a World Bank report, as of 2015, nearly 62% of the agricultural lands in India are dependent on monsoon rains for irrigation.

As of 24th Jun’22, Kharif sowing is 24% lower than the area sown last year.


The 2022 summer, which was ridden with heatwaves, led to cascading impacts not just on human health, but also on ecosystems such as agriculture, water and energy supplies.

Power demand spiked and coal inventories dropped, leaving the country with its worst power shortage in more than six years.

The heat wave also threatened India’s wheat output plan.

According to a World Meteorological Organization report released in 2020, India lost more than $87 billion (approx. ₹6.8 lakh crore) due to disasters such as cyclones, floods and droughts.

However, there’s still hope to control climate change. It will involve a substantial reduction in fossil fuel use, widespread electrification, improved energy efficiency, and use of alternative fuels (such as hydrogen).