El Nino

Spot power prices jump 149% to ₹6.66 per unit in October on demand surge

Spot electricity prices on IEX rose 149 per cent year-on-year to ₹6.66 per unit in October, as warmer weather and below-normal monsoon rainfall boosted demand

Expansionary policy not useful amid inflation risks, says Ashok Lahiri

NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Ashok Lahiri warned against a knee-jerk expansionary policy response amid rising global inflation, El Nino risks and uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz

India remains growth engine; Super El Nino impact yet to materialise: IMF

The IMF on Thursday said the impact of weather events such as the Super El Nino was yet to materialise for India, which remains the engine of growth for the world economy. The IMF listed lower crop yields, increased food price inflation and its impact on the purchasing power of households in India due to the Super El Nino. "So these are risks that we see that India faces, but right now those risks have not materialised," IMF Communications Director Julie Kozack told a press conference here. She said the IMF will reassess India's growth projections in the January World Economic Outlook update after the risks posed by the weather event materialise. Earlier this month, the IMF raised India's growth forecast for fiscal year 2027 and fiscal year 2028 to 7 per cent, from the 6.4 per cent and 6.7 per cent projections respectively made in July. "So, we see it really as a risk going forward, and of course depending on whether that risk materialises, we will reassess our growth projections

El Niño to intensify: Can Indian Ocean Dipole offset its impact in India?

A stronger El Niño could worsen dry conditions across northern India, while a positive Indian Ocean Dipole and cyclonic activity may offer limited rainfall relief to the southern peninsula

Odds of 2026 becoming the hottest year surge higher with strong El Niño

Another scientific body, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, forecasts that 2026 is still unlikely to supplant the 2024 heat record but will come a close second

Best of Opinion: Will El Niño's delayed fallout show up in H2FY27?

Today's editorials and columns examine SBI's cybersecurity concerns, Delhi's pollution response, El Niño's impact on economic growth, EU steel regulations and India's electric vehicle transition.

Watch for El Nino's delayed fallout

Modest decline in sown area masks risks to crop yields and rural incomes

Pune water cut: PMC orders weekly supply cut from Oct 15 as El Niño looms

Pune ordered a citywide water supply shutdown every Thursday and banned the use of drinking water for construction and vehicle washing as the state prepares for prolonged water stress

El Nino to continue to intensify ahead of its forecast peak in Dec: WMO

WMO says El Nino is strengthening rapidly and has a near-100% chance of persisting through February 2027, raising risks of heat, drought and ecological damage in India.

Don't blame El Niño alone

This year's southwest monsoon has ended with a 13% deficit over the long-period average, and India is still bracing for the full impact of a 'super', or 'Godzilla', El Niño

From farmers to shopkeepers, India counts the cost of a weak monsoon

Rice yields have fallen after erratic monsoon rains, while higher farm input costs threaten rural incomes and spending during the key wedding and festival season

2026 monsoon ends with nearly 13% rain deficit, worst since 2015: IMD

IMD forecast says October rainfall is also likely to stay below normal, while El Niño is set to peak in November

Govt sets foodgrain target at 374 million tonnes amid El Niño concerns

Chouhan says five states impacted due to drought conditions in 2026 kharif season

China expects strongest super El Nino event on record this year

The central and eastern equatorial Pacific started to show El Nino ‌conditions in May, and ​sea surface ​temperature indices have risen rapidly, officials of the ​National Climate Centre said.

El Niño threatens rabi crops, may affect foodgrain output: Agri Secy

Minister Chouhan says teams to visit Maharashtra & Karnataka soon to assess the drought impact

El Nino threatens rabi crops in rainfed areas, may affect output: Agri secy

The upcoming rabi (winter) season is likely to be challenging for rainfed areas due to the El Nino weather pattern, and foodgrain production could be affected, Agriculture Secretary Atish Chandra said on Monday. Addressing a two-day national conference on preparedness for the rabi season, Chandra said the kharif season was also very challenging, particularly in rainfed areas. Several States struggled first to achieve crop coverage and later to ensure that the crops survived. Sowing of rabi crops such as wheat and mustard begins in October. "We are seeing that in the coming season, production is likely to be affected to a large extent. And the rabi season will also be challenging for the rainfed areas," he said. Chandra said some states could face the problem of excess soil moisture, while areas with deficient rainfall may see prolonged periods of stress. Strategies need to be calibrated accordingly for the rabi season, he added. Calling climate change a reality, he said even irri

El Nino may turn 'very strong' by late 2026, raising risks for India: IRI

The El Nino weather pattern is strengthening and is likely to become "very strong" in late 2026 and early 2027, the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) at Columbia University said, raising concerns over elevated climate risk for India. In its latest ENSO forecast, published on September 21, the IRI said the Nino 3.4 index, a key gauge of Pacific Ocean temperatures, reached +3.0 degrees Celsius in mid-September. All 22 models it surveyed, 13 dynamical and nine statistical, forecast "very strong" El Nino conditions through the 2026-27 winter. The IRI put the probability of El Nino at 100 per cent through February 2027, falling to 61 per cent by mid-2027. It said the event could rank among the strongest on record. The institute also expects the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) to become strongly positive from September through December 2026 before returning toward neutral conditions in early 2027. A positive IOD often occurs alongside El Nino, though the two can ..

AIIB plans to scale up water financing in India as El Niño worsens

The lender, which has approved $13.8 billion in financing for India, is looking to fund more water infrastructure and policy reforms as monsoon rainfall deficit widens

Super El Nino report: Co-author explains '451K excess deaths' estimate

The University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute's report that claimed that the 'super El Nino' might cause around 15,800 additional heat-related deaths in India over the next six months, was measured using two components, seasonal temperature forecasts, and temperature-mortality relationships, a co-author of the study said. Emily Grover-Kopec, a co-author, told PTI that temperature-mortality relationships were assessed using "one of the most commonly referenced seasonal forecasts" from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF SEAS5). The recently published report claimed that the climate phenomenon could push global land temperatures 1.2 degrees Celsius above normal in the coming months, resembling the higher temperatures that climate change is projected to deliver in the next 20 years. "When considering a wide suite of seasonal forecasts that are available, the ECMWF SEAS sits in the middle in terms of the projected temperature anomalies, so this presents a

India's heat risk rises as El Nino threatens 450,000 lives globally: Report

The developing climate pattern could intensify heat stress worldwide, adding pressure on health systems and vulnerable communities