Hot nights still warm, but city gets some relief
Chandigarh’s hot nights received some relief over the last 24 hours as the temperature fell slightly to 28.6°C, after touching a seasonal high the night before. But temperatures were still up and the city continued to bake on Saturday.
The weatherman said there was no sign of rain. On the contrary, he issued a yellow alert for “warm nights" at some places in Punjab and Haryana. Still the maximum temperature is expected to fall by 3-5 degrees Celsius over the next three days.
After braving the season’s warmest night on Thursday with the minimum temperature touching the all-time high of 32.7° Celsius, which was the third highest reading in the region comprising Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh experienced a comparatively cooler night on Friday. The minimum temperature came down to 28.6° Celsius, which was 4.1 degrees below Thursday’s sizzling night and departure from normal by 2.3 degrees.
Though no place in the region observed the warm night on Friday, Rohtak in Haryana and Faridkot in Punjab recorded the highest minimum temperature of 30.8 and 30.7° Celsius, respectively, to stay the warmest towns.
After getting some respite from the scorching heat on Friday night, the residents of the tricity region, comprising Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula faced another hot day on Saturday with the maximum day temperature shooting up by 2.5 degrees as compared to Friday.
The heatwave also continued to sweep the tricity region, forcing the residents to stay indoors, especially during the peak afternoon hours, even during the weekend.
It was the seventh consecutive day on Saturday when the local residents braved the scorching sun with the mercury hovering over the 40° Celsius-mark.
Tuesday had recorded the maximum temperature of 44° Celsius, which had remained the season’s hottest day here so far.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted no immediate relief from the hot weather conditions till next week.
The weathermen today issued yellow alert for thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds at 40-50 kmph speed in Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana till June 20.
According to the Meteorological Centre here, the department’s observatory at Sector 39 recorded the highest maximum temperature of 42.2° Celsius while another observatory at the Indian Air Force (IAF) airport logged 41.2° Celsius on Saturday.
While Sirsa continued to remain the hottest place in the region for the fourth consecutive day on Saturday with the maximum of 45.2 degree Celsius, which was the highest in the region, Bathinda logged the maximum of 43.8° Celsius to stay the hottest town in Punjab on Saturday as well.
Panchkula in Haryana and Pathankot in Punjab experienced the coolest night in the region on Friday with the lowest minimum temperature of 26.4 and 23° Celsius, respectively.
The MeT Department has predicted a gradual drop in the maximum temperature over the next five days in the tricity region till Thursday.
It said the maximum temperatures in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula will remain between 37 and 40° Celsius and minimum between 27 and 30° Celsius with no possibility of rain for the next five days till June 19.
Saturday’s maximum day temperature in the city was 2.6 degrees above yesterday’s mercury reading and was above normal by 3.6 degrees.
“Maximum temperatures will remain between 43 and 45° Celsius over southern and south-western parts of Punjab and Haryana, but without any heatwave or warm night in the region till June 19,” the IMD said, while predicting some respite from scorching sun from tomorrow onwards when mercury will fall gradually by 3 to 5 degrees over the next three days.
“In view of the hot weather conditions during the next few days, all are advised to take adequate precautions,” the weathermen said.
Chandigarh