The southwest monsoon reached Delhi on Sunday, “simultaneously covering the entire country nine days ahead of schedule—a rare meteorological convergence that has occurred only five times since 2001, when IMD onset records for the Capital began,” reported HT citing IMD.
The newspaper said this year’s June 29 convergence marks the earliest complete national coverage since 2020, with the monsoon typically taking a median of four days to cover the entire country after reaching Delhi during the 2001-2025 period.
“The Southwest Monsoon has further advanced into remaining parts of Rajasthan, West Uttar Pradesh and Haryana and entire Delhi today, the 29th June 2025. Thus, it covered the entire country on 29th June, 2025, against the normal date of 08th July (nine days before the normal date),” the IMD said in a statement on Sunday.
South Africa declares national disaster after floods kill over 100
The death toll from severe floods that inundated parts of South Africa’s rural Eastern Cape province two weeks ago has risen to 101, reported PTI citing authorities. The newswire added that “two children are still missing. Heavy rain on June 9 and 10 caused by a cold front resulted in floods that swept away victims and their houses, trapped others in their homes, damaged roads and other infrastructure and cut electricity supplies.”
South Africa has “declared a national disaster after floods and snow killed more than 90 people and destroyed roads and bridges in four of the country’s nine provinces”, reported Bloomberg. This month’s floods are the latest in a series of adverse weather events to hit South Africa. Last year, Cape Town had record rainfall in July and tens of thousands of homes were damaged. In 2022, at least 459 people died when torrential rains hit two coastal provinces.”
Chinese meteorological authorities warn of heatwaves in north and floods in south
China’s National Meteorological Centre (NMC) warned of heatwaves in northern China, with temperatures to exceed 40°C, reported Global Times adding that southern provinces are expected to “experience torrential downpours and flood risks”. Floods triggered by “days of torrential rains” have forced more than 400 students to evacuate their lodgings in southern China’s Guangxi province, reported state news agency Xinhua
Restoring forests key to carbon capture: Govt paper
The Centre released a document titled the National Mission for Green India that said the largest potential of creating additional carbon sinks is through restoration of degraded forests, which have impaired in the last 15 to 20 years, along with afforestation of open forests, wastelands and agroforestry, reported the HT.
The paper added that restoration of natural forests through plantations can contribute up to 60% of the total carbon sink which can be achieved by 2030, the report said.
Earlier, the Forest Survey of India had evaluated that to bring about an increase in carbon sink (CO2 equivalent billion tonnes) by 2.51 and 3.39 by 2030, as committed by India in its nationally determined contribution (NDC), a corresponding increase of 18.71 and 24.69 million hectares of enhanced forest and tree cover area would be required respectively, the newspaper noted. The Green India Mission is being implemented during the 10-year period from 2021 to 2030. A part of these plantation activities have already taken place.
Three years left to limit warming to 1.5°C, top scientists warn
There could be as little as three years at current levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions before the world is “doomed to breach the symbolic 1.5C warming limit”, reported the BBC. A new report from more than 60 of the world’s leading climate scientists has found that, despite nearly 200 countries agreeing to try to limit global temperatures, they have continued to “burn record amounts of coal, oil and gas and chop down carbon-rich forests – leaving that international goal in peril”, the news channel said.
Climate crisis could hit yields of key crops even if farmers adapt, study finds
According to a new study, some critical crops could suffer “substantial” production losses due to climate change, reported the Guardian. Maize, soy, rice, wheat, cassava and sorghum yields could all fall by as much as 120 calories per person per day for every 1°C warmer the planet gets, the newspaper said. Covering the same study Daily Telegraph reported that the study suggests that this impact on food will be “like everyone giving up breakfast”. New Scientist pointed out that of the six key crops the researchers looked at, all but rice are set for steep losses with rising temperatures, “For instance, global corn yields are projected to fall by about 12% or 28% by the end of the century – depending on whether greenhouse gas emissions are moderate or very high, respectively – relative to what they would be without global warming,”
Expect more extreme summertime North Atlantic Oscillation under climate change
Global warming will lead to a higher probability of summers that see extremes in the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), a new study published by Nature suggests. Using a large collection of climate models, as well as reanalysis data, the researchers find that the statistical distribution of the summer NAO “grows wider with increasing global warming”. This amplified variability “leads to a higher probability of summer NAO extremes” for both positive and negative phases, the researchers say, “accompanied by an amplification of their impacts on surface temperature over north-western Europe.
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