Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday said that the weather station in Delhi that recorded a temperature of 52.9 degrees Celsius in Delhi – the highest ever in India – had suffered a sensor error.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) investigated the temperature sensor in northwest Delhi’s Mungeshpur after the unusually high reading at the peak of a severe heatwave.
"On 29th May 2024, Mungeshpur's AWS reported a temperature of 52.9°C, our @Indiametdept team quickly investigated and found a 3°C sensor error. Corrective measures are now in place. Thanks to our brilliant scientists for their relentless dedication as together, we're making sure you get the most accurate weather information," the minister said in a post on X, sharing a detailed report on the probe.
According to the findings, the maximum temperature recorded by the Mungeshpur weather station on May 29 was three degrees higher than standard instruments. The corrected temperature recorded by the weather station would have been 49.9 degrees Celsius.
On May 29, IMD Director General M Mohapatra said there are 20 monitoring stations in Delhi and 14 of these stations recorded temperatures in the range of 45-50 degree Celsius. He said the Mungeshpur station was an "outlier", and the recording needs to be confirmed. Some observatories in Delhi had shown a slightly higher temperature, but the Mungeshpur recording needs a full investigation, he added.
"It is not official yet. Temperature of 52.3 degree Celsius in Delhi is very unlikely. Our senior officials in IMD have been asked to verify the news report. The official position will be stated soon," Mr Rijiju had said.
Other areas that reported extremely high temperature were both in Rajasthan – 51 degree Celsius in Phalodi, and 50.8 degree Celsius. Sirsa in Haryana recorded 50.3 degree Celsius.
Delhi has reported its all-time high power demand of 8,302 megawatts (MW) amid the heatwave as more and more residents turned on power-intensive air-conditioning, electricity department officials said.