This study investigates the impact of soil moisture (SM) perturbations on temperature extremes (ExT) over India for the historical period (1951–2010) and future climate projection (2051–2100) under a 4K warming scenario using the MRI-AGCM3.2 model. Over 70% of India experienced significant ExT changes due to SM perturbations, particularly in north-central India (NCI), a hotspot of strong SM-temperature coupling. A 20% SM departure in NCI significantly altered ExT frequency, duration, and intensity. However, the impact of SM perturbations on ExT frequency and duration lessened with global warming intensification.

Naresh G. Ganeshi, Milind Mujumdar, Yuhei Takaya, Mangesh M. Goswami, Bhupendra Bahadur Singh, R Krishnan, Toru Terao