Delhi weather: Govt clarifies on Mungeshpur's record rise in temperature

The IMD said in a statement that the maximum temperature reported by the Mungeshpur weather station "is not correct due to malfunctioning of the sensor".

Delhi's record rise in temperature at 52.9 degree Celsius recorded on 29 May was found to have a 3 degree Celsius sensor error, the government said on June 1.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had investigated Wednesday's reading by the weather station at Mungeshpur, a densely packed corner of Delhi, "and found a 3°C sensor error", Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju said.

"Corrective measures are now in place," the minister said, sharing the conclusion of a draft report about the all-time high reading on social media platform X. He did not give a corrected figure for Wednesday's temperature.

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… pic.twitter.com/Wn52Dihk8n

— Kiren Rijiju (मोदी का परिवार) (@KirenRijiju) June 1, 2024

Earlier this week, the IMD Director General M Mohapatra had said that the weather department will investigate the temperature sensor at the automatic weather station in Mungeshpur to ensure it is functioning correctly.

The IMD said in a statement that the maximum temperature reported by the Mungeshpur weather station "is not correct due to malfunctioning of the sensor".

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However the city's record for heat still appears to have been broken.

Two weather stations in the capital reported temperatures of 49 degree Celsius and 49.1 degree Celsius this week. The IMD said these two stations had been checked and it did not report any sensor errors.

The highest temperature previously recorded in New Delhi was 48.4 degree Celsius in May 1998.

Severe heat has been scorching parts of India for days. At least 33 people, including election officials on duty, died of suspected heatstroke in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in the north, and Odisha in the east on on May 31.

(With agency inputs)