Chandigarh, July 3— After witnessing June’s highest rainfall in a decade, Chandigarh is set to experience another spell of heavy to very heavy rain over the next five days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned.
Beginning Saturday, the region may face intense weather activity, including thunderstorms, lightning, and sustained downpours that could further disrupt daily life in Tricity and surrounding areas.
The IMD has issued a yellow alert for thunderstorms and lightning on Friday, followed by an orange alert for heavy rain on Saturday. Heavy to very heavy rain is forecast for Sunday and Monday, with another bout of heavy rain expected from Tuesday to Wednesday next week.
“Light to moderate rain is likely at most places in Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana on July 6 and 7, and at many places on July 8 and 9,” the department said in its bulletin.
“Heavy rainfall (7cm or more) is very likely from July 5 to 9 at isolated locations in the northern and eastern parts of the region, while very heavy rainfall (12cm or more) is expected over parts of Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula on July 6 and 7,” it added.
Although Tricity remained dry for the second straight day on Thursday, light to moderate rain was reported at isolated locations across Punjab and Haryana. The highest recorded rainfall was 6 cm in Khawaspur, followed by 4 cm in Athwal, Jandiala, Dasuya, and Rayya, and 3 cm each in Amritsar, Tarn Taran, and Dilawalpur.
Weather conditions are expected to remain unstable, with generally to partly cloudy skies and intermittent thunderstorms predicted until at least July 8.
On Thursday, Chandigarh recorded a maximum temperature of 34.7°C — 1.7°C below the previous day — while the minimum rose to 27.8°C, 3°C higher than Wednesday. The maximum was 0.8°C below normal and the minimum 0.7°C above the seasonal average.
The new spell of rain follows an already intense start to the monsoon. In June alone, Chandigarh received 213 mm of rainfall — 37% above the monthly average and the highest in a decade. The city opened July with 31 mm of rain on the first day and logged an additional 221.2 mm between Sunday and Tuesday.
While the rain brought relief from the scorching heat, it also caused widespread disruption across the region. Several parts of Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula were left waterlogged, roads caved in, and trees and electric poles were uprooted, crippling power and water supply systems for three days.
