Weather Alert: Chandigarh, Haryana, Punjab brace for heavy rain as IMD sounds Orange alert today
Rain, gusty winds bring relief but raise crop fears; more storms likely next week
A thunderstorm accompanied by light to moderate rain lashed parts of Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula on Friday evening, bringing a sharp dip in temperatures but triggering concern among farmers amid looming crop risks.
Several areas across Punjab and Haryana also witnessed similar weather activity, with thunderstorms and scattered rainfall reported.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had already issued an orange alert on Thursday for Friday and Saturday, warning of thunderstorms, lightning, gusty winds reaching 50–60 kmph, and hailstorm at isolated places across Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana.
The adverse weather has caused sleepless nights for farmers, especially in Punjab and Haryana, where wheat crops are nearly ready for harvest. Experts warned that strong winds could flatten standing crops, while rain and hail may damage ripened grains, raising fears of losses.
Reiterating the orange alert for Saturday, the IMD on Friday also issued a yellow alert for April 7 and April 8 (Tuesday and Wednesday), forecasting thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds of 40–50 kmph along with scattered rainfall at isolated places.
In Chandigarh, cloudy skies persisted through the day before evening showers pulled down the maximum temperature by four degrees to 31.7 degrees Celsius, which is 0.9 degrees below normal. The night, however, remained warmer, with the minimum settling at 19.9 degrees Celsius, 2.3 degrees above normal.
Mohali recorded a similar trend, with the day temperature dropping by 3.5 degrees to 31.3 degrees Celsius, while it logged the warmest night in Punjab at 20.9 degrees Celsius.
Across the region, Patiala recorded Punjab’s highest maximum temperature at 32.1 degrees Celsius, while Nuh (Mewat) in Haryana was the hottest at 34.8 degrees Celsius. Bathinda registered the lowest minimum temperature in Punjab at 17.5 degrees Celsius, while Mahendragarh in Haryana recorded the coolest night at 18.4 degrees Celsius.
On average, maximum temperatures fell by 5.4 degrees in Punjab and 3.6 degrees in Haryana compared to Thursday, settling below normal by 2.2 and 1.7 degrees, respectively.
The IMD has forecast a partly cloudy sky in the Chandigarh Tricity region over the next five days, with thunderstorms and rain likely on Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
