At 56°C, Did Nagpur Record the Highest Ever Temperature? IMD Later Denies, Claims Anomaly

The automatic weather station at PDKV Ramdaspeth (Nagpur City Indian Meteorological Department) erroneously recorded a maximum temperature of 54.4 degrees Celsius on May 30th, with another station in Nagpur reporting 52.2 degrees Celsius. However, the IMD in Pune has confirmed that these readings were incorrect due to a failure in the electronic sensor. Other AWS and IMD observatory stations in Nagpur recorded maximum temperatures in the range of 44-45 degrees Celsius. The IMD is currently taking corrective action to address this issue.

Clarification regarding Maximum Temperatures observed from AWS.
- IMD@Indiametdept@imdnagpurpic.twitter.com/08NPCVrkMv

— K S Hosalikar (@Hosalikar_KS) May 31, 2024

The temperature sensor at Nagpur City AWS, maintained by RMC Nagpur, is currently experiencing a malfunction, and efforts are underway to rectify the issue. It's worth noting that electronic sensors can encounter failures, particularly under extreme weather conditions. Automated systems may generate inaccurate readings due to various factors such as environmental conditions, sensor damage, or issues with protective shields.

On 30th May PDKV Ramdaspeth (Nagpur City IMD automatic weather station (AWS)) reported maximum temperature of 54.4 degree C  and one more station Nagpur reported 52.2 degree C.
These values are wrong due to failure of electronic sensor (As confirmed by IMD, Pune).

— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) May 31, 2024

However, the IMD staff are well-trained to identify such erroneous readings by cross-referencing with multiple meteorological parameters. Additionally, outlier data are typically filtered out during the pre-processing stage. The reported temperature of 56°C on May 30th, 2024, is not considered accurate and has not been officially declared.

The nearby functioning AWS at CICR, Nagpur, recorded a maximum temperature reading of 44.0°C on the same date.