IMD: After the fierce heat in the year 2024, heat will wreak havoc in 2025 as well. This claim has been made by the India Meteorological Department.

The IMD has said that after January, the temperature will remain high in February and the outbreak of drought will also be seen.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Friday that after January being hot and dry, most parts of India are likely to have above normal temperatures and below normal rainfall in February. Rainfall in February is likely to be less than 81 percent of the long-term average (1971-2020) of 22.7 mm.

Possibility of less than normal rainfall
IMD Director General Mrityunjay Mahapatra said that except for some areas of west-central, peninsular and northwest India, most parts of the country are likely to receive below normal rainfall. Minimum temperatures are expected to be above normal in February over most regions except parts of northwest and peninsular India. Similarly, maximum temperatures are likely to be above normal over most regions except parts of west-central and peninsular India.

Average 4.5 mm rainfall in January- IMD
The IMD Director General further informed that India received an average of 4.5 mm rainfall in January, which is the fourth lowest since 1901 and the third lowest since 2001. The country's average temperature in January was 18.98 degrees Celsius, which was the third highest for the month since 1901, the highest after 1958 and 1990. India also recorded its warmest October since 1901 in 2024, with monthly average temperatures about 1.2 degrees Celsius above normal. November was the third warmest November in 123 years after 1979 and 2023.

Winter rains are important for rabi crops
Earlier, the IMD had predicted that rainfall over north India between January and March would be below normal, less than 86 per cent of the LPA of 184.3 mm. Northern and northwestern states such as Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh cultivate rabi crops such as wheat, peas, gram and barley in winter (October to December) and harvest them in summer (April to June). Winter rains, caused mainly by western disturbances, are important for the growth of these crops.