" The 2020 annual mean land surface air temperature for the country was +0.290C above the 1981-2010 period average, thus making the year 2020 as the eighth warmest year on record since 1901.The five warmest years on record in order were: 2016 (+0.710C), 2009 (+0.55 0C), 2017 (+0.541 0C), 2010 (+0.5390C), and 2015 (+0.420C)," the IMD said in a statement.

"It may be mentioned that 12 out of 15 warmest years were during the recent fifteen years (2006-2020).Past decade (2001-2010/ 2011-2020) was also the warmest decade on record with anomalies of 0.230C /0.340C," it said.

  The IMD said thunderstorms and lightning reportedly claimed 815 lives from different parts of the country.

"Among these, 280 from Bihar, 220 from Uttar Pradesh, 122 from Jharkhand, 72 from Madhya Pradesh, 23 from Maharashtra and 20 from Andhra Pradesh were significant," read the statement.