The Times of Climate Change

What's happening?

Yesterday, Pune got battered with intense rain for 2 hours, the highest April rainfall in 128 years! It led to floods, power cuts and traffic jams.

This wasn’t the only strange weather event this month, though. March 2026 was supposed to be the start of summer. And it has gotten very hot. At the same time, many parts of India have also seen rain, thunderstorms and even hailstones. You may have been happy to get the slight relief from the heat, but this is not good news.

What you may not know: Marble-sized hailstones flattened wheat in Punjab and Haryana. Rajasthan lost 80% of its Isabgol crop and 40% of its cumin. In Karnataka, hailstorms destroyed crops over 56,000 hectares — grapes ready for harvest in Belagavi were knocked off vines, watermelon farms in Gadag’s Shirahatti taluk were wiped out, and tomato crops were flattened. Andhra Pradesh saw losses exceeding ₹40 crore across 12 districts.

Now, IMD’s April–June forecast says to expect both above-normal rainfall in April and longer-than-usual heatwave spells (up to 9 days in some regions, against the usual 3–5).

What's behind this?

• Western Disturbances — storm systems from the Mediterranean — usually weaken by March. However, recent meteorological trends indicate a shift in this seasonal cycle. They are extending into March and the science points squarely at climate change as a key factor.