Rain brings down mercury in Jalandhar, people brace up for change in weather

Intermittent rain since Sunday morning has brought down the temperature in the city by about 10 notches. While people had been using air conditioners till two days back, majority of them had to switch off even fans by Monday evening as the maximum temperature fell to 23 degree Celsius and minimum stood at 19 degree Celsius.

People savoured hot cup of ginger tea and coffee while trying to ensure that the sudden drop in temperature does not affect their health. There has been a spurt in footfall of patients complaining of cough, cold and mild fever in almost all hospitals.

Even though rainfall remained light to moderate, it was perhaps snowfall in the upper reaches of HP that led to a drop in the temperature. “My son has been unwell since last evening. I have strictly told him not to take cold drink or cold coffee for the next two-three days till the weather normalises again. Full-sleeve clothes and full length lowers have replaced his T-shirts and shorts. Wardrobes need certain changes in view of changing weather. The tap water was already cold today. It seems that a change in the weather is in the offing,” said Supriya, a mother.

The rain did not affect the procured paddy much as these have been kept inside covered on cemented platforms in the mandis. Most of them were kept covered with tarpaulin sheets. The arrivals have so far been slow. “After these rains, we expect the paddy harvesting to slow down further. The farmers will wait for the crop and the grains to dry out again before beginning to harvest it,” said Sukhbir Singh, a commission agent in Jalandhar mandi.

The weather prediction for tomorrow also remains to be rainy, with temperature ranging from 19 to 24 degree Celsius. After the wet spell ends, the temperature will again begin to normalize, touching 30 degree by next Monday, the weather experts have predicted.