Kasaragod: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has identified major errors in the weather monitoring under the automatic weather stations that established for observing regional climatic conditions at various locations.
The information recorded by these regional stations is available on IMD’s website. However, IMD itself does not utilize this data for official purposes as the recordings are grossly inaccurate. For instance, the maximum temperature recorded at the weather station in Wayanad's Ambalavayal on Friday was a whopping 54 degrees Celsius and the minimum was 46.7 degrees. Incidentally, the official weather report issued by the IMD which predicted that temperatures would rise in four districts on Friday and Saturday said that the maximum temperature recorded in Kerala on Friday was 38 degrees Celsius.
Based on the IMD’s warning about a rise in temperatures by three to four degrees, the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority issued an alert in the state. The alert mentioned that mercury levels were expected to touch 38 degrees in Kannur, 37 degrees in Kottayam and 36 degrees in Alappuzha and Kozhikode on Friday.
At the same time, several automatic stations in Kannur and Kasaragod recorded over 40 degrees Celsius on Friday. More errors were reported from other locations. At Parambikulam in Palakkad, the automatic weather station showed the minimum temperature as minus 16 degrees Celsius. Similarly, the weather station at Vadavathoor in Kottayam recorded a maximum temperature of minus 6.8 degrees Celsius and a minimum of minus 12.4 degrees.
IMD has set up over 100 such automatic stations across Kerala.
When contacted, IMD authorities said that the equipment at the automatic weather stations will be repaired before the monsoon.
