The deployment of Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and various other institutions has garnered attention following the recording of anomalously elevated temperatures—initially in Mungeshpur, Delhi, and subsequently in Nagpur.
As the IMD scrutinized the AWS in Mungeshpur, located in northwest Delhi, for potential inaccuracies, the meteorological authority dissociated itself from the apparatus in Nagpur, asserting that it belonged to Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth (PDKV).
“On the 30th of May, the PDKV Ramdaspeth AWS in Nagpur City reported an extreme temperature of 54.4 degrees Celsius, while another station in Nagpur recorded 52.2 degrees Celsius. These figures are erroneous due to a malfunction of the electronic sensor, as confirmed by IMD, Pune,” stated the Regional Meteorological Centre in Nagpur.
“Observations from alternative AWS and IMD observatories in Nagpur documented maximum temperatures within the range of 44-45 degrees Celsius. IMD is implementing corrective measures,” the statement continued. The weather office elucidated that automated systems might yield incorrect readings due to various factors, including site conditions, sensor damage, or compromised protection shields.
“IMD personnel are trained to identify such inaccurate readings by comparing them with numerous other meteorological parameters. Outlier data is also filtered during the pre-processing stage,” the statement clarified. The weather office emphasized that the report of 56 degrees Celsius on May 30, 2024, is incorrect and has not been officially declared.
The office further mentioned that the nearby functional AWS at the Central Institute of Cotton Research in Nagpur had recorded a maximum temperature of 44.0 degrees Celsius on May 30, 2024. The investigation report on the IMD’s AWS at Mungeshpur, which had recorded a peak temperature of 52.9 degrees Celsius, remains pending finalization.
The IMD has been actively deploying numerous AWS nationwide to enhance its observational capabilities, thereby enabling more precise weather forecasts. In 2022, the IMD installed AWS at 15 new locations in Delhi and the NCR region, supplementing the existing manual stations. As of January this year, over 800 AWS have been established across the country for weather observations.