Weather Watch 2026

After learning that 2023 was the world’s hottest year on record, I began tracking the weather more closely. Then 2024 surpassed it, becoming the first calendar year to cross the 1.5°C threshold and set a new record. 2025 brought a series of extreme weather events, with multiple COP climate change summits taking place that have not yielded any concrete results.

To stay aware of what's happening around the world and make personal changes, I plan to keep taking notes this year too and adjust my expectations.

I've set up a dynamic chart to display weather data for my area (Miyapur) using Zomato's WeatherUnion API like I did in 2025.

   

It fails to return data occasionally but seems to be more reliable than the data provided by Telangana State Development Planning Society which has fewer weather stations (Kukatpally, Serilingampally) and farther away from where I stay.

Comparing values from both sources reveal a big difference in minimum temps (avg 6.1°C) but max temps are close (1.1°C). For humidity there are significant differences, especially in maximum values (18.2% average difference).

~ Weather News 2026 ~

June

* The progress of the southwest monsoon...could play a decisive role in determining food inflation during the remainder of the year. 

Kharif crops such as rice, pulses and oilseeds are sown between June and August. 

If rainfall is poor during this crucial sowing period, farmers reduce acreage, resulting in lower production and tighter supplies. What matters most is not just how much rain falls, but when it falls. Poor rainfall during sowing months can permanently affect acreage, while deficiencies later in the season generally affect yields.

People often focus only on the monsoon, but temperature is becoming equally important. Heat stress affects vegetables, dairy production and supply chains even in years when rainfall remains near normal. - The New Indian Express

* ...in areas with a network of buildings and more concrete, the ground surface was much warmer than in places around parks, trees or water sources.

This is important because according to a report by the World Bank and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, India's urban population was 480 million in 2020 and it may increase to about 95 crore by 2050.

Apart from this, it is very difficult for many people to escape the heat. Only 12.6 per cent of urban households have an AC (air conditioner). At the same time, 22 percent of the families have a cooler.

Roads, buildings, and other infrastructure, increase heat more than forests, farms, or reservoirs. This is the reason why cities often get hotter than their surrounding areas. This is known as the 'Urban Heat Island Effect'.

On May 19, the IMD's grid data showed that Delhi's maximum temperature was around 45°C. On May 19 and 20, the maximum temperature was 4°C above normal. "Normal" here refers to the IMD's 30-year reference period, 1991–2020.

- BBC

May

* Europe melts in record-breaking May heatwave as London suffers 'tropical night' - Daily Express

* The UK and France have recorded their hottest ever day in May - AFP

* Extreme snow rocks California in horrifying late May 'winter' blast - Daily Express

* Lightning has emerged as the most lethal natural hazard in India, with the number of fatalities rising consistently over the years. 

The increase in lightning activity is due to the rise in Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE), low-level moisture content and temperature. The increase in temperature and moisture is attributed to changes in India’s land use and land cover (LULC). Kumar Margasahayam, an early warning systems expert, said, “This is a direct result of a warming planet where warmer air and sudden cooling is leading to more convective thunderstorms. This has led to more and frequent thunderstorms and more lightning phenomena.” - The Hindu

April

* Kyoto's Cherry blossoms are blooming earlier than any time in recorded history (812-2026 CE). After a millennium of relative stability, bloom dates have shifted dramatically earlier since the Industrial Revolution, a proxy for warming spring temperatures.

Source:  John Bistline

* Shifting seasonal patterns are driving a rise in infections, allergies and vector-borne diseases, as changing temperatures and rainfall cycles disrupt established trends and prolong pollen seasons. Disease windows are expanding, and their geographic reach is steadily widening, quietly accelerating climate-driven spread. Communities with no prior exposure lack immunity, while health-care systems in these regions remain underprepared to respond at scale. One major example of this is the exponential growth of mosquito-borne diseases, as rising temperatures have made previously inhospitable regions suitable for this insect. The impact on dengue patterns is already measurable in Delhi-NCR. The number of cases traditionally peaked in September but now peaks in November, as warmer and rainier conditions sustain mosquito populations for longer periods.

Malaria, once largely confined to endemic pockets of the Gangetic Plains and the warm, humid regions of central India, is now being reported in cooler areas such as Himachal Pradesh, where it historically had minimal presence. - Dr. Naresh Trehan, Chairman and Managing Director, Medanta

March

* The Arctic is warming faster than any other region in the world, driven by the burning of oil, gas and coal. Fishing accounts for up to 95% of exports, many to the territory’s biggest market, China, along with the United States, Japan and Europe. Warm weather is making some fish harder to catch as they go deeper in search of colder waters. Traditional ice fishermen who make up half the local industry are seeing the most dramatic changes to the way they fish.

February

* 36 cities (capital cities and major urban centres) across 28 states and eight Union territories (UT) revealed that maximum daytime temperatures have exceeded normal levels in the first 15 days in 27 of these 36 cities. Many Himalayan states have been experiencing an unusually dry winter marked by a near absence of rain and snowfall. - Down to Earth

January

* "Already, Americans eat about 1.0–1.3 grams per day — within the lower range of the new recommendations. However, if they moved up to the higher end of that range, that would be about a 25 percent increase in protein consumption.

World Resources Institute (WRI) estimates that such an increase in Americans eating any kind of protein, whether it comes from animal or plant sources, could require up to 100 million acres of additional agricultural land each year, roughly as big as the state of California. The climate impact of that could be equivalent to hundreds of millions of tons of additional carbon dioxide emissions, according to WRI.

Protein from meat requires more land for raising animals and growing their feed. Cows have a digestive process that’s less efficient at turning feed into food humans can eat.

Heat waves and drought have cut herd sizes, and beef and dairy producers are on alert for potentially devastating screwworm parasites" - The Verge

* The apple industry is the backbone of Himachal Pradesh’s economy, contributing nearly ₹6,000 crore annually and supporting over 1.5 lakh families, primarily small and marginal farmers. A prolonged dry spell and lack of snowfall in Himachal Pradesh have left apple growers and horticulture experts anxious, with fears that if current conditions persist, the apple crop could suffer significant losses in yield and production.