Hyderabad: The India Meteorological Department has recorded that the summer of 2014 was the hottest in about 40 years. The monsoon season was worse, recording the second highest mean maximum temperature since 1971.

The IMD’s annual report said that the average maximum temperature for the country as a whole was 33.13º Celsius last year, which was 1ºC Celsius higher than normal.

This was the third highest maximum temperature since 1971, the earlier two being in 2009 at 33.3ºC and 1987 at 33.25ºC.

Maximum temperatures for most part of 2014 stayed higher than 1-2ºC in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and most parts of the country.

The IMD report said that southwest monsoon season last year, that lasts from June to September, recorded the second highest mean temperature at 28.82ºC. It marked a rise of 0.86ºC above normal. This made it the second warmest monsoon since 1971, after 2009 when the mercury touched 29.03ºC.

Winters were no better. The minimum temperatures in winter were above normal by 1ºC throughout the country except over some parts of the east coast and in some isolated places, the report said.

Heading for the hills was of not much use. The report said that hilly areas of western Himalayas including parts of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast  destinations popular with sunburnt tourists from the rest of the country ? were 1-2ºC warmer than usual throughout the year .

The minimum temperatures too were above normal in the hilly areas for most part of the year. The IMD said the minimum temperature in winter was 1ºC above normal.

The only saving grace was the southwest monsoon period, which was cooler than normal, the IMD report said.

Source: DC