Summer has arrived in force. The heatwave that IMD had been tracking for days officially hit Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana on Monday, with a yellow heat alert — warning of heat wave conditions at isolated places — now in force every single day of the coming week, from today through Sunday, with no rain, no thunderstorm and no gusty winds anywhere in the region for seven straight days.
Chandigarh’s maximum temperature on Monday climbed to 42°C, running 3.1 degrees above the seasonal normal — the first time this season that Chandigarh’s daytime high has crossed the heat wave threshold — and hotter than any day recorded in Chandigarh through the entire May last year, when the highest maximum stood at 41.7°C on May 16, 2025.
That a single early-season heatwave day has already eclipsed last year’s full-month high signals how intense and early this summer has turned out to be. The night temperature in Chandigarh also climbed to 24.6°C — still 0.5 degrees below normal, but rising fast, with 26°C nights forecast from Wednesday onward.
IMD heatwave alert
IMD’s dedicated heatwave bulletins for Punjab and Haryana on Monday flag the same unambiguous picture. In Punjab, maximum temperatures are now appreciably above normal by 3.1°C across the state, with the highest maximum recorded at Bathinda at 47°C — one of the highest temperatures recorded in the state this season.
In Haryana, maximum temperatures are above normal by 2.9°C, with Sirsa recording the state’s highest at 46.2°C and Rohtak at 45.2°C — both at 4.5°C or more above their seasonal normals, meeting the criteria for a severe heat wave. Across both states, temperatures are running hot in a wide arc from Bathinda and Faridkot through Hisar, Narnaul, Rohtak and Sirsa to Bhiwani and Rewari.
The week ahead: Seven days of dry heat
The seven-day weather forecast issued with Monday’s evening bulletin shows not a single day of rain across Chandigarh, Punjab or Haryana from Monday through Sunday. The heatwave alert at isolated places is in force for all seven days for both states and Chandigarh. The district-wise warning maps in IMD’s heatwave bulletins show the heatwave footprint expanding geographically as the week progresses — beginning Monday in the south-western districts of Punjab and the southern belt of Haryana, and spreading northward and eastward by Wednesday-Thursday to cover most of both states.
Chandigarh Tricity five-day forecast
The five-day forecast for Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula shows no respite. Tuesday opens with a maximum of 42°C and a minimum of 25°C under mainly clear skies. Wednesday pushes the maximum to 43°C — the season’s highest forecast for the Tricity — with nights at 26°C. Thursday and Friday stay at 42°C maximum. Saturday also holds at 42°C, with nights at 26°C. Every single day is forecast as mainly clear — not a cloud, not a drop of rain.
Punjab: Bathinda at 47°C, heat builds across Malwa
Across Punjab, the average maximum temperature on Monday rose by 2.3°C and is now appreciably above normal by 3.1°C. Bathinda led the state at 47°C — a rise of 3.9°C from Sunday — followed by Faridkot at 46.4°C, and Patiala at 44°C, where the departure from normal reached 4.5°C, crossing into heat wave territory. Chandigarh recorded 42°C, Amritsar 42°C, Ludhiana 42.2°C, Abohar 42.6°C, Bhakra Dam 42.3°C and Ferozepur 42°C. Average minimum temperatures in Punjab fell marginally by 0.3°C but remain near normal. The lowest minimum was 18.9°C recorded at Adampur.
Haryana: Sirsa at 46.2°C, Rohtak at 45.2°C
In Haryana, the average maximum temperature rose by 1.9°C and is now above normal by 2.9°C. Sirsa IAF recorded the state’s highest at 46.2°C, followed by Rohtak at 45.2°C — with a departure of 4.5°C, meeting the severe heat wave criterion — Hisar at 44.4°C, Narnaul at 44.3°C, Bhiwani at 44°C and Ambala at 43°C, where the departure of 4.1°C also signals heat wave conditions.
Several automated weather stations further added to the heat picture: Nuh at 43.8°C, Mahendragarh and Karnal both at 43.1°C, and Rohtak at 43.3°C. Average minimum temperatures in Haryana rose by 0.7°C and remain near normal. The lowest minimum was 21.4°C at Rohtak. Meanwhile, an extreme outlier reading of 47.4°C was recorded at Bopani in Faridabad during the 24 hours, indicating extreme localised heat in the region’s southern fringe.
Chandigarh heats up
At Chandigarh’s weather observatory, the maximum temperature on Monday was 42.0°C — three degrees above normal — while the minimum was 24.6°C, one degree below normal. Maximum relative humidity was 59 per cent and minimum 37 per cent, reflecting the dry, desiccating air that accompanies a classic pre-monsoon heatwave. No rainfall was recorded. Chandigarh’s cumulative seasonal rainfall from March 1 stands at 105.0 mm — now 117.4 per cent above the seasonal normal, a legacy of the unusually active Western Disturbance spell that swept through the region between May 10 and 14 before giving way to this heat.
