First monsoon showers drench city, night temp dips to third-lowest in region

Chandigarh received the first moderate showers of this monsoon, which drenched the city overnight and dipped the minimum temperature to the third-lowest in the region.

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The city recorded 34 mm downpour, which was the second-highest in the region after 39 mm rainfall observed in Yamunanagar.

Even as the monsoon arrival brought much-needed relief from the sweltering heat, the season’s maiden rainfall exposed the preparedness of the civic authorities with most parts of Chandigarh and Mohali getting inundated due to clogged drains and blocked road gullies.

The Tribune Chowk, which is one of the busiest junctions in the city, along with several other rotaries were also seen waterlogged with the vehicles wading through the knee-deep water accumulated on all sides of the roundabouts and the connecting roads, leading to traffic chaos.

A portion of road leading to Kishangarh near Chandigarh Golf Range also caved in following the downpour.

The rain, which was also coupled with moderate winds, thunderstorm and lightning, also uprooted several trees and poles in the twin-towns, damaging several vehicles and public property. This also exposed the lackadaisical approach on the part of the civic authorities, which failed to prune the old and overgrown trees before the monsoon, in Chandigarh and Mohali.

If this was not enough, the rain also pained the residents with an unannounced power outage in several parts of Tricity. In Mohali, the residents of most areas sweated without power supply from midnight until the wee hours of Saturday.

The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) officials attributed the major power disruption to the breakdown of supply lines following the uprooting of trees and poles in different parts of Mohali.

Chandigarh’s 23.8°C night temperature remained the third-lowest minimum temperature in the region after Yamunanagar and Panchkula, which recorded the lowest and second-lowest of 20.9 and 23.1°C, respectively.

While the city’s minimum temperature dipped by 5.4 degrees during the last 24 hours, which was 2.8-degree departure from the normal, Mohali recorded 24.6°C on Friday night.

The weathermen have issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rain in the region on Sunday and Monday. “There will be an increase in rainfall activity over Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana from Saturday to July 1,” the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

It added that the northern limit of monsoon continues to pass through 27.0°N/68.5°E, 27.0°N/70.0°E, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Jhunjhunu, Bharatpur, Rampur, Sonipat, Anup Nagar and 29.0°N/70.0°E.

“Conditions are becoming favourable for further advancement of southwest monsoon over remaining parts of Haryana during the next two days,” the weathermen said.

On Saturday, the maximum temperature went down by 3.3 notches to settle at 33.9°C below normal by 2.4 degrees in Chandigarh.

The weathermen have predicted a generally cloudy sky with thunderstorms and rain in Tricity for the next five days till July 3.

The IMD has predicted relief from the hot weather conditions during the next week with the further advancement of monsoon.

Mohali in Punjab and Yamunanagar in Haryana experienced the least warm night in the region on Friday with the lowest minimum temperature of 24.6 and 20.9°C, respectively.

“As compared to yesterday, there was a fall of 0.7 degree and 1.3 degree in average maximum temperature, with the mercury remaining near normal and below normal by 3.1 degrees in Punjab and Haryana, respectively, on Saturday,” the IMD said.

Light to moderate rain is likely at many places in Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana on June 29, 30, July 1, and thereafter as well. Heavy rainfall (7cm or more) is very likely at isolated places over northern, eastern parts of Punjab and Haryana, including Chandigarh during this spell.