Western Disturbance fizzles out: Orange alert downgrades, mercury set to soar in region by 6 degrees
Chandigarh gets 4.2 mm rain, Mohali coolest in Punjab at 33.4°C, Karnal coolest in region at 33.2°C; dry, hot days return from Friday with tricity max heading to 41°C by Sunday
The week’s active weather spell is losing steam faster than expected. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday confirmed that the Western Disturbance driving the storm and rain activity over Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana has significantly weakened, trimming both the intensity and duration of weather warnings for the region.
The orange alert that had put the region on edge through Monday and Tuesday failed to deliver any major disruption during the day on Tuesday, and from Friday onwards, the weather clears completely, with no rain, no thunderstorm, no gusty winds and no warning of any kind. In their place comes heat, with maximum temperatures set to climb by 4 to 6 degrees over the next seven days, pushing the tricity towards heatwave territory by the weekend.
FROM ORANGE TO YELLOW & THEN NOTHING
The alert trajectory tells the story of a disturbance running out of energy. Tuesday (May 12) carries an orange-category warning for Haryana and Chandigarh — thunderstorm and lightning with gusty winds of 50 to 60 kmph at isolated places — while Punjab steps down to a yellow alert on the same day, with gusts capped at 40 to 50 kmph. From Wednesday (May 13) through Thursday (May 14), the entire region — Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh — holds at yellow, with thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds of 40 to 50 kmph possible at isolated places. Friday (May 15) through Sunday (May 17) carry no warning at all. The general forecast underlines that light to moderate rain at isolated places is possible through Thursday, after which the weather turns dry across both states and is expected to remain so.
Today’s orange alert sounded on Monday evening and a fresh yellow alert issued in the morning on Tuesday made little visible impact on the tricity through the day, with no significant storm or rain activity reported until the filing of this report.
BRACE FOR HEATWAVE: 6-DEGREE MERCURY SURGE AHEAD
The real story now shifts to heat. IMD’s seven-day general forecast flags a gradual rise of 4 to 6 degrees Celsius in maximum temperatures across the state. The five-day tricity forecast lays this out starkly. Wednesday (May 13) stays at a relatively comfortable 36°C maximum. Thursday (May 14) nudges up to 38°C, and Friday (May 15) holds there. Saturday (May 16) marks a decisive leap to 40°C under mainly clear skies, and Sunday (May 17) pushes further to 41°C. Minimum temperatures, too, will rise, ranging between 21 and 24°C through the forecast period. With the maximum at 40°C and above, the tricity will be brushing the threshold for heatwave conditions over the weekend. Residents should prepare for sharp, sustained heat once the clouds clear.
TUESDAY’S RAIN TALLY: TRICITY LEADS THE CHARTS
The 24-hour period ending Tuesday morning validated the active spell. Chandigarh city received 4.2 mm of rain — its seasonal tally since March 1 now stands at 105 mm, a massive 172.7 per cent above normal. Chandigarh airport recorded 0.8 mm. Mohali got 2.5 mm. In Punjab’s northern belt, Pathankot led with 4.5 mm, Nawanshahr received 2.2 mm, Thein Dam in Pathankot logged 0.5 mm and Anandpur Sahib 0.5 mm. In Haryana, Karnal recorded 1.8 mm, Hisar 1.2 mm, Yamunanagar 1 mm and Bhiwani 2 mm, with a trace at Sirsa.
MOHALI COOLEST IN PUNJAB; KARNAL COOLEST ACROSS THE REGION
Tuesday turned into one of the cooler days of the week in parts of the tricity and beyond. Mohali recorded the lowest maximum temperature in Punjab at 33.4°C, while Karnal at 33.2°C was the coolest station across the entire Punjab-Haryana region. Chandigarh’s maximum settled at 34.6°C — three degrees below normal — and the minimum at 22.8°C, one degree below normal. The city received 4.2 mm of rain in the 24-hour period.
PUNJAB TEMPERATURES RISE
Across Punjab, the average maximum temperature rose by 1.2°C compared to Monday but remained 1.9°C below normal. Faridkot posted the highest maximum in Punjab at 43°C. Average minimum temperatures jumped sharply by 2°C and climbed to 2.5°C above normal — a sign of warm nights setting in. Anandpur Sahib recorded the lowest minimum in Punjab at 21.1°C. Among key stations, Amritsar logged a maximum of 36.5°C and minimum of 23.7°C; Ludhiana 36.8°C and 24.2°C; Patiala 36.7°C and 26.0°C; Bathinda 40.1°C and 26.6°C.
HARYANA TEMPERATURES ALSO UP
In Haryana, the average maximum temperature rose by 1.3°C but remained 1.7°C below normal for the state. Sirsa posted the highest maximum in Haryana at a scorching 44.4°C, with Hisar at 42.4°C, Mahendragarh 42.2°C, Rohtak 41.1°C, Charkhi Dadri 41.7°C and Bhiwani 40.0°C all crossing the 40-degree mark — a preview of the heat to come region-wide. Average minimum temperatures in Haryana edged up by 0.3°C and remained near normal. Gurugram recorded the lowest minimum in the state at 21°C. Ambala’s maximum was 35.8°C; Karnal (main station) 34.0°C.
CHANDIGARH BELOW NORMAL
At Chandigarh's weather observatory, the maximum temperature on Tuesday stood at 34.6°C, three degrees below normal, while the minimum was 22.8°C, one degree below normal. Maximum relative humidity was 69 per cent and minimum 46 per cent. The 24-hour rainfall recorded was 4.2 mm. Chandigarh’s cumulative seasonal rainfall from March 1 now stands at 105.0 mm, which is 172.7 per cent above the season’s normal.
