New Delhi: The year 2009 was the warmest
for the country since 1901 with the denizens facing abnormally
warm conditions during winter and monsoon seasons.
A study conducted by Indian Meteorological Department
(IMD) said the annual mean temperature averaged over the
country last year was 0.913 degree Celsius above the average
annual mean temperature of 24.6 degrees for 1961-1990.
In the list of 12 top warmest years in the past 109
years, seven are from this decade except for 2003 and 2008.
The average of temperatures between 1961 and 1990 has
been taken as the mean temperature of the country. The MeT
Department has records of temperatures from 1901.
"The year 2009 is the warmest year on record since
1901. It is 0.913 degree Celsius more than the mean
temperature of the country," B P Yadav, IMD Director, told.
"Winter and Monsoon seasons in 2009 were the warmest
in the past 109 years. As far as monthly temperature is
concerned, mean monthly temperature over the country as a
whole was the highest since 1901 for January (1.43 C) and
August (1 C) in 2009 and the second highest for February,
September and December," the study said.
The other warmer years on record in order are 2002
(+0.708 than mean temperature), 2006 (+0.6), 2007 (+0.553),
2004 (+0.515), 1998 (+0.514), 1941 (+0.448), 1999 (+0.445),
1958 (+0.435), 2001 (+0.429), 1987 (0.413) and 2005 (+0.410).
PTI
