diff --git a/grid.cc b/grid.cc
index 668c55b7a..8f7d9d346 100644
--- a/grid.cc
+++ b/grid.cc
@@ -1876,7 +1876,20 @@ void set_nnetot(const int modelgridindex, const float nnetot) {
 
 void set_kappagrey(const int modelgridindex, const float kappagrey) { modelgrid[modelgridindex].kappagrey = kappagrey; }
 
-void set_Te(const int modelgridindex, const float Te) { modelgrid[modelgridindex].Te = Te; }
+void set_Te(const int modelgridindex, const float Te) {
+  if (Te > 0.) {
+    // ignore the zero initialisation value for this check
+    const double nu_peak = 5.879e10 * Te;
+    if (nu_peak > NU_MAX_R || nu_peak < NU_MIN_R) {
+      printout(
+          "[warning] modelgridindex %d B_planck(Te=%g K) peak at %g Hz is outside frequency range NU_MIN_R %g NU_MAX_R "
+          "%g\n",
+          modelgridindex, Te, nu_peak, NU_MIN_R, NU_MAX_R);
+    }
+  }
+
+  modelgrid[modelgridindex].Te = Te;
+}
 
 void set_TR(const int modelgridindex, const float TR) { modelgrid[modelgridindex].TR = TR; }
 
diff --git a/kpkt.cc b/kpkt.cc
index 24a293c84..c5df06603 100644
--- a/kpkt.cc
+++ b/kpkt.cc
@@ -242,10 +242,6 @@ auto sample_planck_analytic(const double T) -> double {
 // return a randomly chosen frequency according to the Planck distribution of temperature T using a Monte Carlo method
 auto sample_planck_montecarlo(const double T) -> double {
   const double nu_peak = 5.879e10 * T;
-  if (nu_peak > NU_MAX_R || nu_peak < NU_MIN_R) {
-    printout("[warning] sample_planck: intensity peaks outside frequency range\n");
-  }
-
   const double B_peak = radfield::dbb(nu_peak, T, 1);
 
   while (true) {