CHANDIGARH: A spell of heavy early-morning rain lashed Panchkula while moderate showers soaked Chandigarh and Mohali on Friday, causing a sharp drop in temperatures across the Tricity region. Panchkula recorded a downpour of 99 mm—the highest rainfall across the Punjab-Haryana region—placing it firmly in the heavy rainfall category of the India Meteorological Department.
Meanwhile, Chandigarh received 31.8 mm and Mohali recorded 16 mm, both falling under the moderate rainfall bracket. The precipitation commenced around 4 AM with thunder and continued for nearly two hours, giving way to cloudy skies and a cooling breeze.
The early-morning shower significantly pushed down night temperatures across the urban agglomeration. Chandigarh logged a minimum temperature of 22.8°C—down 1.2°C from the previous night and 2.5°C below normal—marking the coolest night recorded anywhere in Punjab and Haryana. Mohali witnessed a minimum of 23.9°C following a drop of 2.5°C, while Panchkula recorded 24.2°C. Daytime conditions remained similarly subdued as maximum temperatures experienced a noticeable decline across the area.
Meteorologists affirmed that the fresh rainfall has considerably bolstered Chandigarh’s seasonal precipitation tally since June 1, narrowing the cumulative deficit that had persisted despite a 58.3 mm downpour on August 25. The IMD has retained a yellow alert for isolated heavy rain and thunderstorm activity across Chandigarh and Haryana over the next two days. Weather officials declared that fairly widespread rain activity is anticipated to persist through the weekend, keeping regional temperatures well below normal levels.
