India has faced more extreme weather events and higher damages in 2024 compared to last year, says CSE and Down To Earth’s annual state of extreme weather report

• Over 3,000 dead, more than 200,000 houses destroyed in just first nine months of 2024 
• Madhya Pradesh sees highest number of extreme weather events, maximum number of fatalities in Kerala 
• Report released here today in an online webinar by SunitaNarain, director general of CSE and editor of Down To Earth 

Download the full report click here

Access the proceedings of the online release click here

New Delhi, November 8, 2024: Extreme weather events have been steadily on the rise in India. The report is published every year by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Down To Earth, the fortnightly that CSE helps publish. 

In 2024, India faced extreme weather events on 93 per cent of the days in the year’s first nine months -- 255 out of 274 days -- marked by heat and cold waves, cyclones, lightning, heavy rain, floods and landslides. These events claimed 3,238 lives, affected 3.2 million hectare(mha) of crops, destroyed 235,862 houses and buildings, and killed approximately 9,457 livestock. 

Compared to this, the first nine months of 2023 recorded extreme weather on 235 of 273 days, with 2,923 deaths, 1.84 mhaof crops affected, 80,293 houses damaged, and 92,519 animal deaths. 

Down To Earth’s data analysts who have compiled this report point out that “it is very likely that even these reported damagesare an underestimation due to incomplete data collection on event-specific losses, particularly on public property and crop damages”.

Ayear that has setclimate records

The year 2024 also set several climate records. January was India’s ninth driest since 1901. In February, the country recorded its second-highest minimum temperature in 123 years. May saw the fourth-highest mean temperature on record, and July, August and September all registered their highest minimum temperatures since 1901. 

In the Northwest, January was the second driest, and July recorded the region’s second-highest minimum temperature. The Southern Peninsula saw its hottest February ever, followed by exceptionally hot and dry March and April, but with a 36.5 per cent surplus in July rainfall and the second-highest minimum temperature in August.

Speaking at the launch of the report, CSE director general and Down To Earth editor SunitaNarain said: “These record-breaking statistics reflect climate change’s impact, where events that used to occur once every century are now happening every five years or even less. This frequency is overwhelming the most vulnerable populations, who lack the resources to adapt to this relentless cycle of loss and damage.”

What kind of extreme weather events have buffeted India?

In terms of event types, the past nine months have seen everything from lightning and storms -- spanning 32 states and resulting in 1,021 deaths -- to relentless monsoon rains, which led to flooding across various regions. In Assam alone, heavy rains, floods and landslides were recorded on 122 days, leaving large parts of the state submerged and communities devastated. Nationwide, 1,376 lives were lost due to floods.

Says RajitSengupta, associate editor of Down To Earth and one of the writers of this report: “While heatwaves claimed 210 lives, the data does not reflect the extended health impacts of prolonged high temperatures on the wellbeing of people in North India, including farmers and laborers, who endured intense heat with little means of relief. Similarly, the toll of severe cold snaps and frost on crop losses is not captured, highlighting the need for robust compensation systems for weather-induced losses. Without this support, farmers are pushed into debt, exacerbating their marginalisationand poverty.”

State and region-specific devastation

The report says that Madhya Pradesh experienced extreme weather on 176 days -- the most in the country. Kerala recorded the highest fatalities at 550, followed by Madhya Pradesh (353) and Assam (256). Andhra Pradesh had the most houses damaged (85,806), while Maharashtra, which saw extreme events on 142 days, accounted for over 60 per cent of the affected crop area nation-wide, followed by Madhya Pradesh (25,170 ha).

Regionally, Central India faced the highest frequency of extreme events with 218 days, followed closely by the Northwest at 213 days. In terms of lives lost, the Central region had the most deaths (1,001), followed by the Southern Peninsula (762 deaths), East and Northeast (741 deaths) and Northwest (734 deaths).

Says Kiran Pandey, programme director of CSE’s environmental resources team and one of the writers of the report: “Twenty-seven states and Union Territories saw a rise in extreme weather days in 2024, with Karnataka, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh each experiencing 40 or more additional days of such events.”   

The report is an essential reading

Richard Mahapatra, managing editor of Down To Earth, says: “This extreme weather report card is essential reading, as it reveals not only the frequency of such events but also the cumulative and far-reaching damage they cause. This underscores the urgent need for systems that accurately capture losses, giving a human face to the impacts of climate change.” 

CSE researchers point out that the report highlights a critical shift that is needed in our approach to extreme events -- from disaster response to risk reduction and resilience-building. Flood management, for example, requires more than plans on paper; it calls for the strategic development of drainage and water recharge systems, along with expanded green spaces and forests to act as natural water reservoirs in preparation for future storms.

The report also emphasises the need for climate reparations from high-emission countries responsible for much of the damage. Climate models are clear: extreme weather events are set to become more frequent and severe. Says Narain: “This trend is no longer hypothetical -- it is visible in the escalating crises we face today. This report is not good news, but it is a necessary warning, a call to recognise nature’s backlash and the urgent action required to mitigate it. Without combating climate change at a meaningful scale, today’s challenges will only worsen tomorrow.”  

For more details, interviews etc, please contact Sukanya Nair of The CSE Media Resource Centre, sukanya.nair@cseindia.org, 8816818864. 

CSE will be covering and reporting live from COP29 in Baku – to connect to one of our climate experts who are going to be present at the negotiations, please contact Sukanya.