Western disturbance to hit region tomorrow, mercury likely to dip

A fresh western disturbance is likely to impact the western Himalayan region from October 27, bringing the possibility of rain at isolated places in north-west India, which could affect the temperature in the region.

While the day temperature in Punjab remains normal, the night temperature was around 2°C above normal in some parts over the past some days.

In the past 24 hours, the minimum temperature recorded in the state ranged from 14.8°C at Anandpur Sahib to 19.2°C at Mohali, according to the data released by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Day temperature ranged between 29.1°C (Hoshiarpur) and 35.2°C (Bathinda). With winters now descending over the region and upper reaches experiencing snow, the minimum temperature is used as the benchmark to determine the weather conditions.

Though the weather in the state has been dry for about a fortnight, the rainfall in October remains significantly surplus. From October 1 to 25, the state received 30 mm rainfall compared to the long-period average of 7.8 mm for the period, accounting for an excess of 285 per cent, according to the IMD data.

The water level at crucial dams also remains stable and well below the danger mark. The level recorded at Bhakra on October 25 was 1,670.70 feet against the permissible upper limit of 1,680 feet, while it was 1,383.18 feet at Pong against the upper mark of 1,390 feet.

The inflow, which has now reduced considerably with the monsoon having retreated, was 24,364 cusecs at Bhakra and 6,773 cusecs at Pong on October 25. The outflow at Bhakra and Pong dams was 15,030 cusecs and 17,407 cusecs, respectively, according information released by the Bhakra Beas Management Board.