Chandigarh, Aug 1 —The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms at isolated places in Chandigarh, Punjab, and Haryana over the next four days beginning Saturday amid waterlogging and traffic disruptions already reported in parts of the region. Read more: Rain Cools Tricity, Waterlogs Roads
Chandigarh recorded 39.6 mm rainfall in the past 24 hours, which led to a significant dip in temperatures and left most roads, streets, and roundabouts waterlogged. The showers, mostly during the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday, provided brief respite from humidity but also inconvenienced residents yet again.
Of the total rain received, 39.2 mm fell between 5:30 pm Wednesday and 8:30 am Thursday, while only 0.4 mm was logged between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm Thursday. The maximum temperature dropped to 30.4°C, down 3.5 degrees from the previous day and 2.8 degrees below normal. The minimum settled at 24.4°C, 2.8 degrees lower than the previous night and 2.3 degrees below normal.
The relative humidity in the city remained high at 94%, contributing to a lingering muggy feel despite the temperature drop.
Among the tricity areas, Mohali was the coolest with a high of 29.4°C and low of 24.8°C, both down 2.7°C and 2.4°C respectively from the previous day. Panchkula, despite receiving just 0.5 mm rain compared to 24 mm in Mohali, remained the warmest with a high of 30.8°C and a low of 24.9°C.
The IMD has forecast partly to generally cloudy skies with frequent thunderstorms and rain in Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula till August 5.
“There was a fall of 0.6°C and 0.2°C in average maximum temperature on Thursday as compared to the previous day. Overall, the day temperatures were 3.4°C below normal in Punjab and 4.5°C below normal in Haryana,” the IMD said in its latest bulletin.
Residents have been advised to remain cautious, especially in low-lying areas, as intermittent rain and waterlogging may continue to affect normal life through the weekend and early next week.
