Not 46 degrees: IMD releases wrong ‘record’ temperature in Maharashtra’s Bhiru

IMD had recorded 46.5 degrees Celsius, 7 degrees Celsius above normal, as the day temperature for Bhira, almost 100 km away from Pune

 The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has called back the “record” day temperature it had issued for Bhira on Tuesday and did not release the temperatures for Wednesday. 

Women cover their heads to beat the heat at Bandra(Satish Bate/HT)

 IMD had recorded 46.5 degrees Celsius, 7 degrees Celsius above normal, as the day temperature for Bhira, almost 100 km away from Pune. A private weather forecasting agency identified it as the highest maximum temperature in the country and said it was “uncommon for the region to experience such high temperatures around this time of the year”. 

The IMD on Wednesday said the temperature recording was inaccurate. "The temperature recorded at Bhira was not correct and we have recalled it. We request the media not to publicise the figure as the exposure condition of the observatory is not good and it is not IMD's observatory,” said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, head, weather forecasting services, IMD. “It is a part-time observatory of the state government and it is located on a pucca floor, which should actually be a grassland because pucca floors increase the exposure.” 

Meanwhile, heat wave conditions continued to prevail in interior parts of the state on Wednesday with Malegaon recording the highest maximum temperature at 43.2 degrees Celsius. Mohapatra added that the heat wave conditions are likely to prevail over west Vidarbha and north-central Maharashtra till April 1.

Will heat affect crop?

“While the chances of crop loss are very less as majority of the crops have been harvested. Also, we have issued advisories to farmers to increase the frequency of irrigation during the day,” Dr Nabansu Chattopadhyay, deputy director general, agriculture meteorology division, IMD

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