The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has extended the yellow alert for thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds reaching 40-50 kmph at isolated locations across Chandigarh, Punjab, and Haryana until Friday. Scattered showers are likely at isolated places during this period.
Weekend Forecast and Temperature Trends
However, the weather office has forecast dry conditions for Saturday and Sunday, with no warning or alert in place for the weekend. For the Tricity, the forecast suggests a gradual rise in temperatures from Tuesday onwards. Maximum temperatures are expected to remain around 38°C throughout the week, while minimum temperatures are likely to climb from 24°C on Tuesday to 27°C from Thursday onwards.
Meteorologist Explains Pre-Monsoon Thunderstorms
A senior meteorologist said the region is currently witnessing a transition phase between pre-monsoon thunderstorms and the eventual arrival of the southwest monsoon. “The thunderstorm activity being witnessed over Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana is pre-monsoon in nature and should not be confused with monsoon onset. The southwest monsoon’s advance slowed considerably during the past two weeks because of unfavourable large-scale atmospheric conditions and repeated western disturbances over North India. While isolated thunderstorms and showers will continue to occur, a sustained wet spell associated with monsoon arrival is more likely towards the end of June. Until then, temperatures are expected to rise again after the temporary cooling caused by Sunday’s storm,” the meteorologist said.
Rainfall and Temperature Data from Sunday’s Storm
The thunderstorm that swept across the Tricity on Sunday night brought 5.1 mm rainfall to Chandigarh and triggered a sharp fall in both day and night temperatures on Monday. According to the IMD, Chandigarh recorded 5.1 mm rainfall, making it the third-highest 24-hour rainfall station in the Punjab-Haryana region, behind Yamunanagar (7.5 mm) and Amritsar (6.7 mm). Other stations reported only light rainfall or traces. Chandigarh’s maximum temperature plunged to 35°C, a sharp fall of 4.8 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature dropped to 22.4°C, down 2.6 degrees Celsius. The IMD data showed Chandigarh recorded the coolest night in Punjab and the second coolest in Haryana after Bhiwani, which reported a minimum of 21.5°C.
Contrasting Conditions Within Tricity
Weather conditions varied sharply within the Tricity itself. While Chandigarh experienced one of the coolest nights in the region, Mohali recorded a minimum temperature of 26.5°C, making it the second warmest night in Punjab after Bathinda’s 27.3°C. Yet during the day, Mohali emerged as one of the coolest places in the state, recording a maximum temperature of 34°C, second only to Nawanshahr (31.8°C). In fact, Mohali’s maximum temperature was lower than every reporting station in Haryana on Monday.
