India endures hottest August since records began in 1901: weather bureau

India endured its hottest August since records began in 1901, with the country's mean temperature reaching 28.01C, the India Meteorological Department said.

The mean temperature was 0.67C above the long-term average for August, the department said, releasing the results at the end of the month.

It broke the previous record for August set in 2023, when the mean temperature was 28.0C, it added.

India's monsoon rainfall was 16 percent below normal in August, the meteorological department said, which increased heat, due in part to El Nino conditions.

El Nino is a naturally occurring climate phenomenon that brings worldwide changes in winds, air pressure and rainfall patterns.

In India and Southeast Asia, it typically causes drier conditions. Scientists fear it will exacerbate the heat of a planet already warming from burning fossil fuels, while amping up weather extremes.

India, the world's most populous country, is particularly vulnerable to extreme heat.

Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heat extremes, with temperatures soaring to dangerous levels in parts of the country in recent years.