Indian Heatwave Highlights Temperature 'record' Checking Challenge

Geneva, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th May, 2024) The swift announcement that a potentially record-breaking temperature measured this week in India could have been due to a sensor error highlights the challenges in certifying extreme heat.

The recording of 52.9 degrees Celsius (127.2 Fahrenheit) in a Delhi suburb on Wednesday -- surpassing the national record -- was an outlier compared to other stations, and the India Meteorological Department said it was reviewing the data and sensors.

The incident underscored the critical importance of verifying temperature readings, notably for monitoring and understanding how the climate is changing -- and responding accordingly.

The United Nations' World Meteorological Organization is responsible for signing off on global, continental and hemispherical temperature records.

The Geneva-based WMO maintains a global weather and climate extremes archive, which logs records for temperature, pressure, rainfall, hail, aridity, wind, lightning and weather-related mortality.

Its lengthy verification process involves months and even years of careful scientific checking, and sometimes sees measuring flaws and equipment errors bring down claimed records.