3 weeks ago
IMD corrects entry error; Delhi short of normal August rain
There is a weather office in India called the India Meteorological Department, or IMD.
It keeps track of how much rain falls in different cities.
In Delhi, rain is measured at a place called the Safdarjung weather station.
The office made a typing mistake and recorded 56 millimetres of rain on August 6, but the real number was 18.7 millimetres.
Because of this mistake, the total rain for August looked bigger than it really was.
On Tuesday, the IMD fixed the mistake.
Now the total rain for August is 197.2 millimetres.
Normally, Delhi gets about 226.8 millimetres of rain in August.
So the city still needs about 29.6 millimetres more to reach its usual amount.
Delhi has received about 87 percent of the rain it normally gets in August so far.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) revised August 6 rainfall at Delhi's Safdarjung station from 56 mm to 18.7 mm, citing an 'entry error'.
Delhi's cumulative August rainfall now stands at 197.2 mm, down from the 230.5 mm previously listed on the IMD website.
The earlier error had suggested Delhi crossed its August average within the first eight days of the month.
Delhi has received about 87% of its normal August rainfall, based on IMD's 1991-2020 long period average.
Safdarjung's August normal is 226.8 mm, leaving Delhi about 29.6 mm short of the monthly normal.
- Who
- The India Meteorological Department (IMD), which tracks rainfall for Delhi at the Safdarjung weather station.
- What
- IMD corrected an 'entry error' that overstated Delhi's August rainfall, revising the August 6 reading from 56 mm to 18.7 mm and lowering cumulative August rainfall to 197.2 mm.
- Where
- Delhi, India, measured at the Safdarjung weather station.
- When
- The correction was announced on Tuesday, regarding rainfall recorded on August 6.
- Why
- To fix an 'entry error' in the rainfall data; the corrected figures show Delhi remains about 29.6 mm short of its normal August rainfall.
Key facts
- Cause of revision
- Entry error
- Corrected rainfall for August 6
- 18.7 mm (revised from 56 mm)
- Cumulative August rainfall
- 197.2 mm at Safdarjung station
- Previously listed cumulative rainfall
- 230.5 mm
- August normal (1991-2020)
- 226.8 mm
- Shortfall from normal
- 29.6 mm
- Share of normal rainfall received
- About 87%





