E-Paper
Mercury breaches 40°C mark in Chandigarh
Further rise in maximum temperature on the cards with winds from Rajasthan blowing in, says the weather department
City’s maximum temperature crossed the 40 degrees Celsius mark on Friday, touching 41.9 degrees, four notches above normal.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the mercury will continue to rise further in the coming days.
Speaking about the jump, scientist at IMD Chandigarh, Shivinder Singh, said, “Earlier North-Westerly winds from Pakistan and Kashmir were blowing in the region, keeping it cool. But, now winds from Rajasthan had made their way to the city, causing a considerable increase in the temperature. It will rise by another 1-2 degrees in the next few days.”
Singh added that the dry spell was likely to continue in the region, which will contribute to the rise in temperature. “Cyclone Amphan, though far from the north, drew in winds from across the region and drained out the moisture. This has led to heat waves in some parts of India.”
Heat wave in plains is declared when the maximum temperature goes over 45 degrees or is 4.5 degrees above normal.
Friday’s maximum temperature at 41.9 degrees was 2.2 degrees more than Thursday’s 39.7 degrees. The minimum temperature also went up from 21.8 degrees to 22.1 degrees, one degree below normal. In the next three days, the day temperature will remain between 42 and 43 degrees, while the minimum temperature will be around 24 degrees.
