Police are looking for a scoundrel who warmed the sensors.
Betting for the weather suddenly turned into a story in France with a criminal hue. In early April, sensors at the Charles de Gaulle weather station twice showed strange temperature jumps of several degrees in minutes, and almost simultaneously unknown users won tens of thousands of dollars on the Polymarket platform.
The first episode occurred on April 6. At the forums, meteorological fans drew attention to the fact that in the evening the temperature at the station Météo-France at the Charles de Gaulle airport suddenly jumped above 21 ° around 19:00, although almost immediately after that went down again. According to the published raw data, the growth looked sharp and short-lived, which immediately raised questions from those who monitor the weather measurements.
Almost at the same time, one of Polymarket users disrupted a large win. He received $ 14 thousand, although he delivered only a few dozen dollars. The account itself was also aroused by additional suspicion: it was created just two days before the successful bet. Polymarket can be made predictions not only for politics or world events, but also for weather indicators, including the daily maximum temperature in different cities. For Paris, the platform was focused just on the Météo-France sensors installed in Charles de Gaulle.
The mechanics looked pretty simple. During the day, participants could bet on what the maximum temperature will be recorded by the evening. On April 6, almost until the end of the day, the most likely outcome was considered a maximum of 18 °. Shortly before 18:00, the probability of such a result was estimated at 95%. However, closer to the end of the bidding, the data changed dramatically: the temperature suddenly broke the mark of 21 °, and the market turned around in minutes.
A few days later, the story repeated. On April 15, the sensors again showed a short and unusual burst of temperature. On Polymarket, another user has already won more than $ 20 thousand. On that day, the platform eventually recorded a maximum of 22 ° for Paris, although the day before and the next day the maximum values were 18° and 19°. According to BFMTV, the probability of such an outcome increased from 0.1% to 95% in just half an hour.
French meteorologist Ruben Hallali called such jumps extremely unlikely, especially given the short period of time and specific dates. According to him, it cannot be ruled out that someone with a good understanding of the operation of the sensors could intervene in the process and artificially raise the temperature to the desired 2-3 ° exactly at the moment when it was necessary to confirm the winning rate.
For such a scheme, according to a specialist, one remote influence would not be enough. Physical intervention would be required next to the sensor itself. One possible way is to briefly heat the device or area next to it so that the system has time to fix an increased value, after which the readings would quickly return to normal.
Météo-France after checking appealed to law enforcement agencies. The service confirmed to BFMTV that it filed a complaint under the article on changing the operation of the automated data processing system in the gendarmerie of air transport Roissy. The reason was both the physical signs of exposure to one of the devices, and the analysis of sensor readings.
At the same time, the weather service did not comment on the possible consequences for the information received by the crews of the aircraft during departure and landing at Charles de Gaulle airport. The question looks sensitive: it is no longer only about betting, but also about the reliability of weather data in one of the largest air hubs in France.
After the scandal, Polymarket, the Polymarket platform quickly changed the source of data for betting to the maximum temperature in Paris. Since the past weekend, the reference point for calculations is no longer the sensors in Charles de Gaulle, but the weather station of Le Bourget airport. At the same time, the site is already banned in France, and before has already come to mind because of the possible use of insider information in the rates associated with the war in Iran.
Betting for the weather suddenly turned into a story in France with a criminal hue. In early April, sensors at the Charles de Gaulle weather station twice showed strange temperature jumps of several degrees in minutes, and almost simultaneously unknown users won tens of thousands of dollars on the Polymarket platform.
The first episode occurred on April 6. At the forums, meteorological fans drew attention to the fact that in the evening the temperature at the station Météo-France at the Charles de Gaulle airport suddenly jumped above 21 ° around 19:00, although almost immediately after that went down again. According to the published raw data, the growth looked sharp and short-lived, which immediately raised questions from those who monitor the weather measurements.
Almost at the same time, one of Polymarket users disrupted a large win. He received $ 14 thousand, although he delivered only a few dozen dollars. The account itself was also aroused by additional suspicion: it was created just two days before the successful bet. Polymarket can be made predictions not only for politics or world events, but also for weather indicators, including the daily maximum temperature in different cities. For Paris, the platform was focused just on the Météo-France sensors installed in Charles de Gaulle.
The mechanics looked pretty simple. During the day, participants could bet on what the maximum temperature will be recorded by the evening. On April 6, almost until the end of the day, the most likely outcome was considered a maximum of 18 °. Shortly before 18:00, the probability of such a result was estimated at 95%. However, closer to the end of the bidding, the data changed dramatically: the temperature suddenly broke the mark of 21 °, and the market turned around in minutes.
A few days later, the story repeated. On April 15, the sensors again showed a short and unusual burst of temperature. On Polymarket, another user has already won more than $ 20 thousand. On that day, the platform eventually recorded a maximum of 22 ° for Paris, although the day before and the next day the maximum values were 18° and 19°. According to BFMTV, the probability of such an outcome increased from 0.1% to 95% in just half an hour.
French meteorologist Ruben Hallali called such jumps extremely unlikely, especially given the short period of time and specific dates. According to him, it cannot be ruled out that someone with a good understanding of the operation of the sensors could intervene in the process and artificially raise the temperature to the desired 2-3 ° exactly at the moment when it was necessary to confirm the winning rate.
For such a scheme, according to a specialist, one remote influence would not be enough. Physical intervention would be required next to the sensor itself. One possible way is to briefly heat the device or area next to it so that the system has time to fix an increased value, after which the readings would quickly return to normal.
Météo-France after checking appealed to law enforcement agencies. The service confirmed to BFMTV that it filed a complaint under the article on changing the operation of the automated data processing system in the gendarmerie of air transport Roissy. The reason was both the physical signs of exposure to one of the devices, and the analysis of sensor readings.
At the same time, the weather service did not comment on the possible consequences for the information received by the crews of the aircraft during departure and landing at Charles de Gaulle airport. The question looks sensitive: it is no longer only about betting, but also about the reliability of weather data in one of the largest air hubs in France.
After the scandal, Polymarket, the Polymarket platform quickly changed the source of data for betting to the maximum temperature in Paris. Since the past weekend, the reference point for calculations is no longer the sensors in Charles de Gaulle, but the weather station of Le Bourget airport. At the same time, the site is already banned in France, and before has already come to mind because of the possible use of insider information in the rates associated with the war in Iran.
