Union Minister of Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju said here on Saturday that it was found that the Mungeshpur weather station, which recorded the maximum temperature at 52.9 degrees C on Wednesday, May 29, had a sensor error of 3 degrees C.
The minister, taking to social media platform X, said a team of IMD scientists quickly investigated and found a 3 degrees C error, while corrective measures are now in place.
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In the post on X, Rijiju wrote, “On 29th May 2024, Mungeshpur’s AWS reported a temperature of 52.9°C, our Indian Meteorological Department team quickly investigated and found a 3°C sensor error. Corrective measures are now in place.”
Rijiju has thanked the IMD scientists for their relentless dedication.
The Ministry, along with the IMD, has released the findings of a committee that was put in place to examine the abnormal temperature reading at Mungeshpur on May 29.
According to the IMD, the Automatic Weather Station (AWS) at Mungeshpur reported a maximum temperature of 52.9 degrees C, and a committee chaired by a senior scientist, comprising other experts from the weather agency, was tasked to review the anomaly.
Their probe included an evaluation of the AWS sensor at Mungeshpur and comparisons with other AWS in Delhi, and the findings revealed a positive bias in the readings, with the said sensor reporting temperature approximately 3 degrees higher than standard instruments during the peak temperature period.
There were no significant discrepancies found in the readings reported by the other AWS stations in the national capital.
The committee has recommended several measures to be taken regarding the AWS and quality control before uploading the observed data from the AWS for the general public and various users.
