Much-awaited, Chandigarh finally experienced the rains of monsoon on Tuesday, bringing relief from the scorching heat. The south-west monsoon has set in the Chandigarh, and some parts of Punjab and Haryana, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Rain showers are in the forecast for the region over the next 5 days, cooler temperatures and overcast days leading the way in a summer that has gone too long now.
Rain Predicted in Tricity and Adjacent States
From Wednesday, residents of Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula can expect normal bouts of rain. They will get light to moderate rain on June 25, 28, 29, and 30. Few places can experience some rain on June 26 and 27 too. Isolated lightning and thunderstorms have also been warned against by the IMD for these days.
The department has also declared an orange alert for Wednesday and Thursday, anticipating heavy rain and very heavy rain, along with thunderstorms over scattered areas. From Friday, there are chances of heavy rain till Monday, which have been issued by a yellow alert.
Along with this, extremely heavy rains are also anticipated at scattered places in Punjab and Haryana on June 25 and 26, which will increase the flooding risk at low levels.
After two consecutive days of heat, the weather in Chandigarh eased a bit on Tuesday. The day’s maximum temperature was 1.5°C lower than the day before, after rising marginally on Monday. The minimum temperature also dropped by 1°C after marginally increasing the night before.
It brought along some cold air as well, though with humidity. The day was bearable because of the cloud cover and light breeze but individuals felt uneasy and sweaty because of the increase in humidity.
The day’s high on Tuesday was 34.1°C at Sector 39 weather station in Chandigarh and 32.8°C at the Indian Air Force station adjacent to the airport. The city received 4 mm of rainfall. However, there was no rain during the day in nearby towns Mohali and Panchkula.
The IMD has predicted cloudy conditions with frequent thunderstorms and rain in the tricity up to June 29. The day temperatures will also continue to be between 29°C and 31°C, and nights also will remain on the cooler side, between 25°C and 27°C.
Though nights are not as hot now, humidity still torments the area. On Monday evening Chandigarh recorded a temperature of 27.4 degrees Celsius. With 30.4°C and 30.3°C, respectively, Faridabad in Haryana and Bathinda in Punjab saw the lowest minimum temperatures in the area.
Monsoon Brings Hope of Relief
The onset of monsoon is a relief in terms of weather for North India. Additional rains in the offing along with temperatures likely to stay moderate, the area can now expect relief from the brutal heatwave which had taken it in its clutches in the initial half of this month. Precisely, June 10 was the hottest day of the season so far, when mercury had hit a scorching 44°C.
When rain clouds cover Chandigarh as well as the surrounding region, the long wait may now be over for more comfortable, cooler climatic conditions.