Wednesday’s yellow alert, unlike Tuesday’s orange warning that had fizzled without consequence, proved its worth by evening with thunderstorm, lighting, rain and gusty winds lashing Chandigarh tricity region at dusk.
This complete U-turn in weather came after Chandigarh’s day temperature surged 4°C, highest rise across Punjab and Haryana region while Mohali region recorded sharpest night rise at 3.4°C.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a nowcast at 7.02 pm warning of thunderstorm with rain and gusty winds of 40 to 50 kmph likely over parts of Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula and adjoining areas within the next two to three hours, with radar images confirming active rain and thunderstorm cells bearing down on the tricity. Residents have been advised to stay in safer places during the activity and not take shelter under trees.
The broader Punjab alert issued simultaneously was sharper still, flagging moderate thunderstorm with winds of 40 to 60 kmph and lightning — with hail at some locations — as very likely over a sweep of northern, central and Malwa districts covering Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Kapurthala, Nawanshahr, Batala, Moga, Zira, Phagwara, Nakodar, Phillaur and several other areas. Lighter thunderstorm activity with winds of 30 to 40 kmph has been flagged over a second tier of districts stretching from Sangrur and Bathinda through Faridkot, Ferozepur, Ropar, Anandpur Sahib and Nangal to the Pathankot belt.
YELLOW ALERT HOLDS FOR THURSDAY; HEATWAVE FORMALLY FLAGGED FROM SUNDAY
The active spell is entering its final hours. Thursday (May 14) retains a yellow alert — thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds of 40 to 50 kmph at isolated places — for both Punjab and Haryana and Chandigarh. Friday (May 15) and Saturday (May 16) carry no weather warning, and the seven-day forecast marks both days as dry. But the more significant development in Wednesday’s bulletin is what comes after: IMD has formally sounded a heatwave warning at isolated places for Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana from Sunday (May 17) through at least Tuesday (May 19). The region is about to swing sharply from storms to scorching heat with very little time in between.
THE NUMBERS BEHIND THE HEATWAVE WARNING
The five-day forecast for the tricity tells the temperature story plainly. Thursday (May 14) holds at 38°C maximum with a minimum of 23°C. Friday (May 15) stays at 38°C maximum and 22°C minimum. Saturday (May 16) edges back slightly to 37°C maximum — a brief cloud-related dip — before the heat reasserts itself sharply. Sunday (May 17) sees the maximum rise to 39°C under mainly clear skies. Monday (May 18) pushes further to 42°C with a minimum of 24°C. That is a jump of nearly 5°C from Thursday to Monday, bringing the tricity squarely into heatwave territory.
WEDNESDAY’S HEAT SURGE: CHANDIGARH LEADS, MOHALI CLOSE BEHIND
Wednesday’s readings delivered a preview of the heat to come. Chandigarh’s maximum temperature shot up by 4°C compared to Tuesday, climbing to 38.6°C — the sharpest single-day rise in the region, running 1°C above normal. Mohali registered the second sharpest rise in the Punjab-Haryana region, with its day temperature jumping 3.7°C to reach 37.1°C. On the night side, both Mohali and Anandpur Sahib recorded the highest rise in minimum temperature across the region, each climbing 3.4°C — Mohali’s night reading moved to 26°C and Anandpur Sahib to 24.5°C, signalling that nights, too, are heating up rapidly.
PAST 24 HOURS: HARYANA GETS HAILSTORM, PUNJAB STAYS DRY
The 24-hour period ending Wednesday morning saw a distinct split between the two states. In Haryana, light rain accompanied by thunderstorm, gusty winds and hailstorm was observed at isolated places. Karnal recorded 0.6 mm, Mahendragarh 2.5 mm, Sonepat 3 mm and Yamunanagar 1.5 mm. Punjab, by contrast, remained completely dry during the same period. During the day on Wednesday, Amritsar received a notable 12.6 mm of rain, the most significant daytime rainfall across either state.
PUNJAB TEMPERATURES RISE
Across Punjab, the average maximum temperature rose by 2°C on Wednesday and is now near normal for the state. Faridkot posted the highest maximum in Punjab at 43.7°C, with Bathinda at 43.4°C and Abohar at 40.7°C also crossing the 40-degree mark. Average minimum temperatures rose by 0.3°C and now sit at 3.1°C above normal — warm nights are firmly established. The lowest minimum in Punjab was 18°C at Nawanshahr. Among key cities, Amritsar logged a maximum of 38.5°C; Ludhiana 38.8°C; Patiala 39.0°C; Pathankot 37.0°C.
HARYANA TEMPERATURES ALSO UP
In Haryana, the average maximum temperature rose by 1.1°C and is now near normal for the state. Sirsa recorded the highest maximum at 44°C, with Narnaul at 42.5°C, Hisar at 41.4°C, Rohtak at 41.2°C, Charkhi Dadri at 40.6°C and Mahendragarh at 40.6°C all in the 40-plus bracket. Average minimum temperatures in the state fell marginally by 0.9°C but remain near normal. Rohtak recorded the lowest minimum in Haryana at 21.2°C. Ambala logged a maximum of 38.2°C and minimum of 25.5°C; Karnal 36.7°C and 25°C; Sonepat 39.6°C.
CHANDIGARH ABOVE NORMAL
At Chandigarh’s weather observatory, the maximum temperature on Wednesday was 38.6°C — one degree above normal, the first above-normal reading of the season — and the minimum was 23°C, one degree below normal. Maximum relative humidity was 74 per cent and minimum 39 per cent. No rain was recorded during the 24-hour period ending Wednesday morning. Chandigarh’s cumulative seasonal rainfall since March 1 stands at 105 mm, now 139.7 per cent above the seasonal normal.
