Chandigarh breathes a sigh of relief at night, but daytime heat persists

Chandigarh finally got some relief from the warm nights as the minimum temperature dipped considerably on Friday night after touching an all-time high on Thursday night. However, the day temperature surged substantially, baking the city once again on Saturday. With no immediate relief in sight for rainfall, the weather department issued a yellow alert for warm nights at isolated places in Chandigarh, Punjab, and Haryana until Sunday and thunderstorm, lightning, and gusty winds at 40-50 kmph speed in the same regions until Friday. Although the maximum temperature is expected to gradually fall by 3 to 5 degrees over the next three days.

On Thursday, Chandigarh experienced its warmest night of the season, with the minimum temperature touching an all-time high of 32.7 degrees Celsius, the third-highest reading in the region. In contrast, Friday night saw a relatively cooler temperature of 28.6 degrees Celsius, which was 4.1 degrees below Thursday’s reading and 2.3 degrees above normal. Rohtak in Haryana and Faridkot in Punjab recorded the highest minimum temperatures of 30.8 and 30.7 degrees Celsius, respectively.

The Tricity region, comprising Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula, faced another hot day on Saturday, with the maximum temperature shooting up by 2.5 degrees compared to Friday. The heatwave continued to affect the region, forcing residents to stay indoors during peak afternoon hours. For the seventh consecutive day, the temperature hovered above 40 degrees Celsius, with Tuesday’s maximum temperature of 44 degrees Celsius being the season's hottest day so far.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts no immediate relief from the hot weather conditions until next week. According to IMD, the maximum temperature will remain between 43 and 45 degrees Celsius over southern and south-western parts of Punjab and Haryana without any heatwave or warm night in the region until June 19. Some respite from the scorching sun is likely from tomorrow onwards, with temperatures expected to fall gradually by 3 to 5 degrees over the next three days.

PANCHKULA COOLEST IN TRICITY

Panchkula remained the coolest place in the Tricity region on Saturday, recording the lowest maximum and minimum temperatures. In contrast, Chandigarh was the hottest, while Mohali stood second. Notably, Mohali experienced its warmest night on Friday.

TRICITY MERCURY (Celsius)

CITY               MAX   MIN

Chandigarh      42.2     28.6

Mohali             40.4     29.4

Panchkula        39.5     26.4