Yellow alert issued for Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula; heavy rain expected next week

Following Wednesday’s deluge in the Tricity, caused by the region’s heaviest and highest-ever single-day rainfall in the recent past, Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula began to return to normal on Thursday. Today, scattered light to medium showers were experienced intermittently as residents along the Sukhna Choe, Ghaggar River, Patiala Ki Rao, Jayanti Ki Rao, and other seasonal rivulets and nullahs struggled to put their lives back on track.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for heavy rain, coupled with thunderstorms and lightning, at isolated places in Chandigarh and Haryana on Friday. However, the weather is likely to remain dry over the weekend. Thereafter, there is a forecast for another spell of heavy rain in the region from next Monday to Wednesday.

The weather department has predicted a partially cloudy sky with thunderstorms and rain in the Tricity region for the next five days, until September 9. During this period, the day and night temperatures are likely to remain between a maximum of 33 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 24 degrees Celsius.

In the past 24 hours, Panchkula recorded a 76-mm downpour, while Chandigarh and Mohali logged 21.3-mm and 18.5-mm of rainfall, respectively. While the temperature dipped slightly during the day, the night temperature soared by up to 3 degrees. The relative humidity in Chandigarh remained at 95 per cent today.

TRICITY METER

CITY               MAX         MIN          RAIN

Chandigarh      29.1°C       23°C         21.3 mm

Mohali             30.1°C       25.1°C       18.5 mm

Panchkula        30.4°C       23.9°C       76 mm

(SOURCE: IMD)