Fog back after rain in Chandigarh Tricity, cold intensifies

A day after Chandigarh Tricity recorded the region’s heaviest rainfall of the season at 41.2 mm, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds, Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula remained dry on Wednesday, but slipped back into the grip of dense fog, mist, haze and ground frost, tightening cold wave conditions across the region.

Visibility stayed poor throughout the morning as parts of the Tricity were blanketed with dense to very dense fog, troubling road and rail users. The sun, however, finally broke through the fog and cloud cover in the afternoon, offering much-needed, though short-lived relief. The brief sunshine pushed Chandigarh’s maximum temperature up by 2.7 notches to settle at 18.2 degrees Celsius, still 1.2 degrees below the seasonal normal.

Despite the cold day conditions, nights continued to remain comparatively warm. The minimum temperature in Chandigarh stood at 10.2 degrees Celsius, about 2.4 degrees above normal, underscoring the sharp day-night contrast prevailing over the region. Relative humidity levels remained high, aiding the persistence of fog and frost.

Tuesday’s rain was widespread across Punjab and Haryana, with hail reported at several places. Patiala emerged as the second wettest station in the region, logging 37.3 mm of rainfall, as per the IMD’s media bulletin.

Weather conditions over the past 24 hours in Chandigarh were marked by repeated spells of thunderstorm, lightning, rain, drizzle and long stretches of mist and dense fog, before precipitation ceased early Wednesday morning.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for cold wave conditions and dense fog at isolated places on Thursday and Friday. The weather is expected to remain largely dry on both days, with cold mornings likely to persist. There is a possibility of scattered showers at isolated places on Saturday.

Another yellow alert has been sounded for Sunday, forecasting a fresh spell of fairly widespread rain accompanied by thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds reaching 30-40 kmph at isolated places. Weather is again likely to turn dry on Monday and Tuesday after the spell.

In a telling comparison, while the Tricity shivered under fog and cold wave conditions, popular hill stations reported much lower temperatures. Shimla recorded a maximum of 12 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 0.6 degrees with 33 mm of rain, Kufri remained icy with the mercury dipping to –1.4 degrees, while Manali logged 39.4 mm of precipitation. Dharamsala stayed relatively milder, while Srinagar continued to hover near the freezing point.

With fog, frost and cold wave conditions to linger and another rain spell lined up, residents have been advised to remain cautious during early morning and late-night hours.