Western disturbance hit the Tricity in the early hours of Monday, battering the region with thunderstorm and gusty winds around 2 am. The storm lasted barely an hour but left large parts of the city without power and water supply, both of which were restored in the morning.
The IMD had issued an orange alert for Monday. The sky stayed largely unsettled but without major activity till the filing of this report. The real escalation, IMD warned, is likely from Monday evening or early Tuesday.
ORANGE ALERT FOR TODAY
The IMD has warned of thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds of 50 to 60 kmph at isolated places over Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula on Tuesday. This constitutes an orange — “Be Prepared” — alert for both days across the region. Light to moderate rain is expected at a few places on Monday and Tuesday.
From Wednesday through Friday, the intensity steps down to a yellow alert, thunderstorm and lightning with gusty winds of 40 to 50 kmph at isolated places across Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana.
FIVE-DAY TRICITY FORECAST
For Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula, the five-day forecast reveals a significant and sustained rise in temperatures once the active spell winds down. Tuesday will see thunderstorm, gusty winds and rain with a maximum of 36°C and minimum of 23°C. Wednesday brings partly cloudy sky, with the maximum nudging up to 37°C and minimum at 22°C. Thursday and Friday both to witness thunderstorm, gusty winds and rain again, with the maximum jumping to 39°C on both days. Saturday turns mainly clear and the maximum climbs further to 40°C — the region’s first brush with 40-degree heat this season. The IMD has forecast no large change in maximum temperature over the next five days during the active spell itself.
CHANDIGARH TEMPERATURE
At Chandigarh’s weather observatory, the maximum temperature on Monday stood at 36.0°C — one degree below normal — and the minimum at 21.9°C, two degrees below normal. Maximum relative humidity was 75 per cent and minimum 38 per cent. No measurable rainfall was recorded at the observatory.
