01
Spatial framework
A grid-cell-first architecture. Every component is computed independently for each ERA5 grid cell, then aggregated to district and state boundaries.
Actuaries Climate Index
About the index
A standardized, reproducible measure of climate extremes across India — built for risk management, insurance pricing and infrastructure planning.
- 6
- Climate components
- 1991–2020
- Baseline period
- 30+
- States & UTs
- 780+
- Districts
Core methodology
Three choices define how every number on this site is produced.
02
Reference period
Standardized against the 1991–2020 baseline, the WMO 30-year climate norm. Every output is a z-score.
03
Reanalysis datasets
ERA5-Land for temperature, precipitation, drought and wind, paired with ORAS5 for sea level.
The six components
Each measures a distinct physical hazard and is standardized the same way before the composite averages them.
T90SHeat
Warm temperature
Unusually warm days and nights, above the 90th percentile of the baseline.
T10SCold
Cold temperature
Unusually cold days and nights, below the 10th percentile of the baseline.
PSRainfall
Extreme precipitation
Maximum consecutive five-day precipitation anomaly — flood and deluge potential.
WWind
Extreme wind
Unusually high wind-speed days, above the 90th percentile of the record.
DSDrought
Drought & dry spell
Longest run of consecutive dry days — moisture deficit and drought stress.
SSCoastal
Sea level anomaly
Monthly mean sea-level anomaly, applied to coastal states and districts only.
Composite & interpretation
How the composite is formed
Coastal regions6 components
(T90S - T10S + PS + W + DS + SS) / 6Inland regions5 components
(T90S - T10S + PS + W + DS) / 5Inland regions exclude sea level so they are not penalized for lacking a coastline.
What the values mean
- Standardized departures
- Larger positive values mean several hazards are exceeding their historical baseline at once.
- Hazard, not loss
- The index measures physical hazard intensity — not economic loss, claims, or vulnerability.
- Read with the components
- The composite tells you something changed; the components tell you which driver changed.
Frequently asked questions
Answers on the statistical framework, percentile thresholds, ERA5 and ORAS5 datasets, and actuarial applications.
The Indian Actuaries Climate Index (IACI) is a standardized composite index that quantifies changes in climate extremes over time, built specifically for actuarial applications such as insurance pricing, catastrophe modelling and financial risk management.
Unlike traditional climate indicators, which track average conditions, the IACI focuses on extreme events — these drive most insured and uninsured economic losses.
Ready to look at the data?
Browse district and state choropleths, or compare two regions and periods side by side.