According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the annual mean land surface air temperature for 2024 was 0.65 degrees Celsius higher than the long-term average from 1991 to 2020. This surpasses the previous record set in 2016, when the mean land surface temperature was 0.54 degrees Celsius above normal.

Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, the director general of the IMD, confirmed the new temperature milestone in a virtual press briefing.

Globally, 2024 is also projected to have been the hottest year on record, with the European climate agency Copernicus confirming that it was likely the first year to see a global average temperature rise 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

Additionally, a report by World Weather Attribution and Climate Central revealed that 2024 saw an average increase of 41 more days of extreme heat globally, intensifying the impacts of climate change.