Chandigarh saw driest December in five years, showers likely from Jan 2

IMD officials say this year due to lesser western disturbances, the conditions for rain didn’t form and dry winds blew over the city.

With only 9.7mm rain recorded all through the month, 2020 saw the driest December in five years, India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials revealed. The previous low was in December 2015 when only 2mm rain was recorded the whole month.

The maximum temperature of the city went up from 11.5°C on Wednesday to 16.3°C on Thursday. At 4.4 degrees below normal, it was the first day without cold wave conditions in the city since December 27. (HT PHOTO)

IMD Chandigarh director Surender Paul said, “This year, due to lesser western disturbances, the conditions for rain didn’t form and dry winds blew over the city.”

The La Nina effect, which causes oceans to remain cooler, also contributed to lesser rains this December, he added.

The IMD director, however, said that from January 2, residents can expect some showers due to the western disturbances. “Light rain is likely from January 2, and it is expected to intensify on January 4 and 5 with chances of thunderstorms,” he said. Paul said that the rain will help keep the minimum temperature from falling too low.

“However, if it rains during the day, the maximum temperature may fall down 1 to 2 degrees below normal. Foggy conditions will also abate from January 2, only to rise again from the night of January 6. January is the coldest month of the season for the city and it’s likely that the lowest minimum temperature of the season will also be recorded in the days that follow.”

The minimum temperature went down from 4.6°C on Wednesday to 2.7°C on Thursday, classifying it as a cold wave, as per IMD. A cold wave is declared when the minimum temperature falls below four degrees. Below two degrees, a severe cold wave is declared.

Visibility remained affected on Thursday morning and it was below 50 metres around 8:30 am, however, by 11:30 am it went up to 1,500 metres and 4,000 metres by the afternoon. On Thursday evening, visibility was below 2,000 metres.

In the next three days, maximum temperature will remain between 16°C and 18°C while minimum temperature will remain between 4°C and 7°C.

9 flights delayed, 1 cancelled due to fog

Due to foggy weather conditions, one flight was cancelled while nine were delayed, said Chandigarh airport officials. The Go Air Bengaluru flight was cancelled while the departure of Go Air flight to Delhi and Indigo flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata and Lucknow were delayed, the officials informed. Apart from these, Alliance Air flight arriving from Delhi, Indigo and Go Air flights from Ahmedabad also reached Chandigarh late.