India's summers are arriving earlier, and becoming hotter and less predictable. Over the last weekend of April, 95 of the world's 100 hottest cities were in India. Compounding this is persistence of unusually warm nighttime conditions across parts of north, central and eastern India. Even cloud cover or brief storms offer only temporary relief. Also, IMD has forecast El Nino conditions in the coming months.Agricultural productivity declines under heat stress and erratic rainfall, while urban areas face amplified risks due to the urban heat island effect. If unaddressed, estimates suggest extreme heat could cost India $150-250 bn in lost economic activity by 2030, putting 2.5-4.5% of GDP at risk.
This stress is visible in India's power system. On April 25, the country recorded a peak power demand of 256 GW, an 8.9% increase from 235 GW in April 2025. More notably, peak demand is arriving earlier in the year. India is expected to record a peak demand of around 270 GW this year, while cities such as Delhi have crossed 7 GW of demand in April, levels that were reached only in June in 2024 and 2025.
