India records hottest and driest August in history

While some parts of northern India faced deadly floods during the month due to heavy downpours, the overall rainfall was considerably lower, resulting in record high temperatures, as reported by AFP.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the average and maximum temperatures in August 2023 were the highest recorded since 1901. The primary factor behind this phenomenon was a significant deficiency in rainfall and poor monsoon conditions.

IMD data indicates that the average rainfall for August this year was 161.7 millimeters (6.4 inches), which is 30.1 mm lower than the previous record set in August 2005.

Summer rains are crucial for India's food security and the livelihoods of its rural population, as millions of farmers rely on the monsoon for their crops. The monsoon is triggered by the summer heat warming the subcontinent's landmass, causing the air to rise and drawing in cool winds from the Indian Ocean, resulting in substantial rainfall.

However, the monsoon also brings annual destruction in the form of landslides and floods, exacerbated by melting glaciers and unregulated development in flood-prone regions.

Despite the record-low rainfall, August witnessed at least 65 casualties from floods and landslides triggered by torrential downpours around India's Himalayan region.

The Indian Meteorological Department has declared heatwaves almost every year for the past decade, with temperatures sometimes soaring to 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit).

Recent years have seen temperature records shattered worldwide, reflecting the increasing variability of meteorological conditions due to climate change.

July 2023 was declared the hottest month ever recorded on Earth, marked by heatwaves and fires globally, according to Copernicus, the European Union's climate observatory. Greenhouse gas emissions are contributing to the intensification and prolongation of heatwaves.