Climate over India during 2019 was above average with respect to temperature. The annual mean temperature for the country this year was +0.36°C above the 1981-2010 average, thus making the year 2019 as the seventh warmest year on record since the nation-wide records commenced in 1901. Higher mean temperatures during the pre monsoon season (Mar-May, with anomaly 0.39°C and monsoon season (Jun-Sep, with anomaly 0.58°C, warmest since 1901) mainly accounted for the above normal annual temperature for the year. Rainfall during the principal rainy season [Southwest (summer) monsoon season (June September)] for the country as a whole was normal [110 % of Long Period average (LPA)]. The seasonal rainfall during the Northeast monsoon season (October – December) over the NE Monsoon core region of the south peninsula was 109% of its LPA. During 2019, 8 cyclonic storms formed over the Indian seas. Arabian Sea contributed 5 out of these 8 cyclones against the normal of 1 per year, which equals the previous record of 1902 for the highest frequency of cyclones over the Arabian Sea. This year also witnessed development of more intense cyclones over the Arabian Sea.

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