Night chill deepens as daytime warmth continues in Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula

A pronounced contrast between warm days and sharply colder nights tightened its grip on Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula on Tuesday, with tricity witnessing a widening gap between maximum and minimum temperatures even as dry weather prevailed across the region.

Chandigarh recorded a maximum of 24.2°C and a minimum of 6.6°C, marking an almost 18-degree difference, as per the IMD’s latest bulletin. Mohali (22.6°C) and Panchkula (25.1°C) too registered below-normal daytime temperatures, while their night temperatures stayed firmly in the single digits.

The chill was more intense compared to the plains of Haryana and Punjab, where isolated pockets —particularly in Punjab — also recorded shallow fog and cold wave conditions. The tricity’s minimum temperatures remained 1-4°C below normal, signalling an early-season nip.

Humidity levels swung widely through the day, with Chandigarh’s maximum relative humidity touching 88 per cent in the morning before dropping to 33 per cent later, intensifying the dryness in the air. No rainfall was recorded across the region.

Nearby hill stations such as Shimla continued to stay colder overall but with a narrower day-night differential. While hill maxima hovered in the low teens, the tricity witnessed higher daytime readings but comparable minimums on certain days, making the night chill more perceptible across the plains.

The IMD has forecast mainly clear to partly cloudy sky conditions over the next five days, with minimum temperatures expected to remain in the 6-8°C bracket. Day temperatures are likely to stay steady between 23°C and 25°C, keeping the pronounced thermal contrast intact.