The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an emergency nowcast for the Chandigarh Tricity around 6 pm on Thursday, warning residents that a thunderstorm with rain and hail accompanied by gusty winds of 50-60 kmph is likely to strike Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula and adjoining areas within the next two to three hours.
Residents of Chandigarh, Panchkula, and Mohali were advised to move to safer places immediately and not take shelter under trees during the storm activity. The nowcast, backed by real-time data from the Patiala Doppler Weather Radar showing active and intense storm cells bearing down on the region with reflectivity readings approaching and exceeding the 60 dBZ level that indicates severe precipitation and hail, confirmed what the orange alert had been promising since Monday without delivering.
Orange Alert Issued
The orange alert for Thursday had been flagged since Monday when IMD's seven-day bulletin identified Wednesday and Thursday as the most weather-affected days of the week. In a pattern that has grown familiar over the past fortnight, the alert had remained unfulfilled through most of the day, echoing the two consecutive fizzle-outs of red alerts on the previous Thursday and Friday before Saturday's dramatic, violent storm finally arrived. Wednesday's orange alert similarly produced limited impact in the Tricity.
Thursday's nowcast, however, changed the equation. The Patiala Doppler radar showed a credible, organised storm system on approach, validating the warning level and prompting IMD to issue the immediate advisory to residents.
Weather Conditions
Thursday was otherwise a warm, close day in Chandigarh. The maximum temperature was 38.1 degrees Celsius, a modest 0.4 degrees above Wednesday's 37.7 degrees and 1.1 degrees below normal. The minimum was 25 degrees, just 0.4 degrees above the previous night and 1.3 degrees below normal. Maximum relative humidity was 69 per cent and minimum was 35 per cent at the Chandigarh observatory, with the airport recording 77 per cent and 31 per cent, respectively. No significant weather was observed through the morning and early afternoon before the nowcast.
Across Punjab, Bathinda remained the reference point for the heat that still prevails in the south of the state. In Haryana, Sirsa continued to top the state charts. But the broader pattern of temperatures running 4-5 degrees below normal across the region since last Saturday's dramatic storm continues to hold, even as the mercury inches back up day by day.
Upcoming Weather Alerts
Thursday's storm will not be the week's last weather event. Friday also carries an orange alert for thunderstorm and lightning with gusty winds of 50-60 kmph at isolated places, with light rainfall forecast at a few places, maximum of 37 degrees, and minimum of 26 degrees. Northwest winds of up to 18 kmph are forecast through the day.
The alert steps down to yellow on Saturday: thunderstorm and lightning with gusty winds of 40-50 kmph at isolated places, with light rainfall at isolated places, maximum 38 degrees, minimum 24 degrees. Sunday carries no formal weather warning, though light rainfall may still occur at isolated places, but no active alert. Monday is forecast to be dry with the maximum temperature edging up to 39 degrees, as the heat quietly reasserts itself as the wet spell fades.
Extended Forecast
IMD's extended range forecast for Punjab covers the two weeks from June 5 to June 18 and offers a revealing picture of how the first fortnight of the monsoon season is likely to unfold. During Week 1 (June 5-11), light to moderate rainfall is expected across the state. Maximum temperatures will range from 36-38 degrees over the foothills and northern districts to 38-40 degrees over central Punjab, climbing to 40-42 degrees over the southern districts of Fazilka, Muktsar, Bathinda, and Mansa. Both maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to be normal to below normal, making this first full week of June relatively manageable by the region's June standards.
The picture changes for Week 2 (June 12-18). No significant rainfall is expected over Punjab during this period. Maximum temperatures will climb to 38-40 degrees over central and northern Punjab and 40-42 degrees over most remaining parts of the state, with temperatures forecast to be normal to above normal. Minimum temperatures of 22-24 degrees in the north and 24-26 degrees in central and southern Punjab are also expected to be normal to above normal. A drier, noticeably hotter second week follows the cooler, wetter first.
This trajectory is consistent with IMD's long-range monsoon forecast flagged in detail earlier: normal to below-normal seasonal rainfall for Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh in the June-September monsoon season, with above-normal temperatures expected across most of India in June. The modest wet spells of the season's opening days should not be read as a reversal of that broader, cautionary forecast.
Advisory for Residents
IMD has issued an advisory urging residents to stay in safe buildings during the thunderstorm and not take shelter under trees. People should stay away from electric poles, power lines, and water bodies. If driving, they should pull over at a safe place and remain inside the closed vehicle. It is also recommended to unplug electrical equipment and avoid touching metallic objects, water taps, or pipes.
