Guwahati: What happens when one of the wettest places on Earth starts getting warmer? In Meghalaya, the answer came in 2025, when the state recorded its highest annual temperature in 125 years, marking a new climate extreme despite its reputation for abundant rainfall.Meghalaya recorded its warmest year since 1901 in 2025, with the state’s average annual mean temperature reaching 20.77°C, according to the latest India Meteorological Department (IMD) report.The average was 0.96°C above the long-period average (LPA) for 1991–2020, the report said.“The Meghalaya state averaged annual mean land surface air temperature (20.77 degree C) during 2025 was +0.96 degree C above its LPA for the period 1991-2020, thus making it the warmest year on record for the state since 1901,” read the report.The report also found a significant warming trend of 0.73°C per 100 years between 1901 and 2025, with maximum temperatures rising faster than minimum temperatures.The five warmest years on record for Meghalaya were 2025, 2023, 2024, 2021 and 2022.The report, titled ‘Statement on Climate for Meghalaya: 2025’, stated the state’s annual minimum temperature anomaly of +0.78°C was the highest since 1901, while the maximum temperature anomaly of +1.13°C ranked third warmest.Both maximum and minimum temperatures remained significantly above normal for most of the year, barring May and August.The monsoon season was particularly warm, with the maximum temperature anomaly reaching +1.2°C, the highest for the season since 1901. The winter minimum temperature anomaly stood at 1.1°C above normal, making it the third warmest winter on record.Minimum temperature anomalies during the pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons stood at +0.8°C and +0.7°C, respectively, ranking both as the second warmest since 1901.The IMD assessment analysed Meghalaya’s monthly, seasonal and annual temperature, rainfall and extreme weather events during 2025, using the 1991-2020 period as the baseline.
