India’s climate crisis is exacting a devastating toll on lives, homes, livestock and agriculture, with extreme weather events affecting the country on nearly 92% of days between January and September 2026.

More than 3,000 people have died, over 128,000 houses have been destroyed and 4.25 million hectares of cropped land have been damaged during the period, according to a report released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Down To Earth (DTE) on November 4.

The report, Climate India 2026: An Assessment of Extreme Weather Events, found that extreme weather claimed 3,220 lives during the first nine months of the year. It also recorded the loss of 47,244 livestock, highlighting the widespread destruction caused by heatwaves, cold waves, floods, landslides and heavy rainfall.

Based on data covering 2022 to 2026, the assessment points to a sustained rise in the frequency of extreme weather. The proportion of days affected increased from 86-88% in 2022 and 2023 to 93% in 2024, before reaching 99% in 2025. Between January and September this year, at least one part of the country experienced an extreme weather event on 251 of 273 days.

India has recorded more than 16,000 deaths due to extreme weather between January 2022 and September 2026, with nearly 65% of the fatalities occurring in the last three years, the report said. The annual death toll remained above 2,700 throughout the assessment period, rising from 2,755 in 2022 to 2,923 in 2023 and 3,238 in 2024. The figure reached a five-year high of 4,064 in 2025. In the first nine months of 2026, the toll had already crossed 3,000.

The disasters covered in the assessment include lightning and thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, floods, landslides, heatwaves, cold waves, cyclones, hailstorms, dust storms and squalls (a sudden, brief spell of very strong winds, often accompanied by heavy rain or thunderstorms), according to a Down To Earth report.

The findings draw on information from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Disaster Management Division of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and media reports.

The impact on agriculture has been equally severe, with at least 20.6 million hectares of cropped land affected by extreme weather over the five-year period. More than 82% of the total damage occurred between 2024 and 2026, pointing to a sharp escalation in the threat to agricultural livelihoods.

The area of damaged cropland increased from 1.84 million hectares in 2022 to 3.2 million hectares in 2024, before rising steeply to 9.47 million hectares in 2025. A further 4.25 million hectares were affected in the first nine months of 2026, making it the second-worst year for agricultural damage during the period under review.

The report also noted shifts in seasonal weather patterns, including warmer winters and the earlier arrival of heatwaves. February 2026 was the fourth-warmest February in 125 years and, for the first time in the five-year assessment period, recorded no cold-wave or cold-day events. Himachal Pradesh, meanwhile, experienced a severe heatwave in early March, marking the earliest such occurrence recorded in the assessment.

The effects have been felt across several states. Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of extreme weather days over the five years, with 748, followed by Himachal Pradesh at 740, Uttar Pradesh at 653, Maharashtra at 648 and Assam at 526.

Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number of deaths in 2026, with 811 fatalities, followed by Maharashtra with 286 and Bihar with 245. Maharashtra also suffered the largest agricultural loss, with 2.83 million hectares of cropland affected. The damage has added to the state’s agrarian distress, already marked by recurring droughts, mounting farm losses and farmer suicides.

CSE director general Sunita Narain described the mounting losses as the human face of climate change, warning that almost every part of the country was experiencing extreme weather.

In a statement, Narain also highlighted the wider climate injustice underlying the crisis. Wealthier countries, which have contributed disproportionately to historical emissions, have failed to cut pollution fast enough or provide adequate climate finance to vulnerable developing countries.

Down To Earth managing editor Richard Mahapatra stressed the need to move beyond responding to disasters and focus on reducing risks and building resilience. He called for better drainage systems, water-recharge infrastructure and the restoration of forests and green spaces, DTE reported.

The findings underline the need for a fundamental shift in how India approaches climate-related disasters.