Mercury dips sharply as thunder, intense showers lash Tricity

A spell of moderate to intense rainfall coupled with thunderstorm and gusty winds lashed Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula through Monday, with temperatures witnessing a sharp drop — marking one of the most significant post-monsoon cool-downs of the season.

According to the Meteorological Centre, Chandigarh, the maximum temperature in the city plummeted to 24.8°C, which is 7.8°C below normal, while the minimum settled at 22.2°C, around 1.3°C above normal. Relative humidity fluctuated between 93 per cent and 72 per cent, keeping the air muggy amid intermittent lightning and thunderclaps. The city’s observatory recorded 33.3 mm of rainfall till 5.30 pm, which was heaviest in the region.

Mohali recorded a maximum of 26.4°C, about 9°C below normal, with 32.5 mm rainfall in 24 hours, the second heaviest in the region. Panchkula, influenced by the same convective system, saw similar conditions with evening thunder and medium downpour sweeping several sectors.

The spell marked a dramatic turnaround after a dry and hot start to October, when temperatures had soared above 36°C just a day earlier. The maximum fell by nearly 11°C in 24 hours, while average maximum temperatures across Punjab and Haryana were 7-9°C below normal, making Monday the coldest day of the month so far.

Over the next few days, IMD expects the weather to gradually stabilise. The forecast shows partly cloudy skies with chances of thunder or rain on Tuesday (October 7), followed by mainly clear conditions from October 8 onwards. Day temperatures are likely to recover from 26°C on Monday to around 31°C by Friday, while minimum will hover between 19°C and 20°C.

Meteorologists attributed the sudden change to a western disturbance interacting with moist easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal, triggering intense convection across north India. “The interaction of two air masses created unstable atmospheric conditions, leading to thunderstorm development and heavy precipitation,” a weatherman explained. The system is expected to move eastwards, leading to clearer skies mid-week.