With the southwest monsoon still showing no signs of entering northwest India, Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana have once again slipped into heatwave conditions, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue a yellow alert for Sunday and Monday even as the next significant spell of rain is expected only towards the end of the coming week.
The latest IMD bulletin indicates that after several days of isolated pre-monsoon thunderstorms and largely ineffective weather alerts, dry weather has tightened its grip over the region, allowing temperatures to rise steadily once again.
Chandigarh on Saturday recorded a scorching 40.7 degrees Celsius, an increase over the previous day and 4.4 degrees above normal, making it the second hottest station in Punjab, behind only Bathinda, which emerged as the state’s hottest location. The city’s minimum temperature also continued its upward trend, remaining 0.2 degree above normal, signalling increasingly warm and uncomfortable nights after the brief cooling witnessed earlier this week.
Across Punjab, average maximum temperatures registered a further rise and remained appreciably above normal, while Haryana too witnessed an increase in both day and night temperatures as dry continental winds strengthened over the region. The rising mercury has effectively erased the cooling impact of the isolated showers experienced earlier this week.
Reflecting the deteriorating conditions, the IMD has issued a yellow alert for heatwave conditions over Chandigarh and parts of Haryana on Sunday and Monday, warning residents of hot afternoons and elevated discomfort levels.
The weather office, however, has ruled out any immediate rainfall. No weather warning or alert has been issued for Tuesday and Wednesday, indicating predominantly dry weather with partly cloudy skies across Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana.
Relief is expected only from Thursday, when a fresh western disturbance and increasing moisture are likely to revive thunderstorm activity over northwest India.
Accordingly, the IMD has issued a yellow alert from Thursday to Saturday for thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds reaching 40-50 kmph, accompanied by scattered to fairly widespread rainfall across Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh. The wet spell is expected to extend into the next weekend, offering the first meaningful opportunity for widespread relief from the prevailing heat.
For the Tricity, maximum temperatures are expected to remain around 39 degrees Celsius through Tuesday before dipping by about two degrees from Wednesday onwards as cloudiness increases ahead of the expected rainfall. Minimum temperatures are forecast to remain elevated between 26 degrees Celsius and 27 degrees Celsius, making nights warmer and more humid through the first half of the week.
A senior IMD meteorologist said the region continues to remain outside the active monsoon belt, resulting in prolonged hot weather despite the monsoon having advanced over large parts of the country.
“The southwest monsoon has not yet advanced into Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh because the atmospheric conditions required for its northward progression are still evolving. In the absence of widespread monsoon rainfall, temperatures have risen again and heatwave conditions have re-emerged over parts of the region. The next significant weather change is expected from Thursday onwards when moisture incursion and favourable upper-air conditions are likely to trigger thunderstorms and more widespread rainfall. That spell should bring a noticeable drop in temperatures and provide relief from the prevailing heat,” the meteorologist said.
For residents of Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula, the forecast offers little respite over the next four days. With heatwave conditions returning, hot afternoons and increasingly warm nights are expected to dominate before thunderstorms and rain are likely to usher in comparatively pleasant weather towards the end of the week.
