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Thundershowers bring respite from heat wave in UT, Malwa region; temperature dips across Punjab
The showers proved to be a boon for farmers who had just started preparing their fields for sowing paddy
Punjab, which had been in the grips of an intense heat wave, received some respite on Friday with Malwa region and Chandigarh receiving thundershowers on Friday morning, causing the temperature to drop across the state.
Heavy showers in Patiala on Thursday evening brought the temperature down to 29°C from a scorching 43°C. Moderate cool winds and heavy showers brought down the day temperature in Bathinda, which had recorded a record high of 47.5°C on Wednesday, the highest in the last two decades. It had drizzled in Bathinda, Faridkot and Moga on Thursday.
Ludhiana experienced strong winds and a drizzle on Friday. Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) head of the department of climate change and agricultural meteorology Dr Prabhjyot Kaur said Ludhiana and surrounding areas will witness light to moderate rainfall coupled with high-velocity winds on Saturday and Sunday.
The temperature dipped in Jalandhar and Amritsar and the weather stayed cloudy on Friday.
The Jalandhar meteorological department recorded a maximum temperature of 33°C on Friday morning, with strong gusts of winds blowing through the district.
Officials said the temperature was likely to go up to 39°C by the evening. The met department also predicted thunderstorm and light rainfall over the next 24 hours. The minimum temperature was 22°C.
AMRITSAR RECORDS 8°C DIP IN TEMPERATURE
Recording a dip of 8°C, the maximum temperature in Amritsar dropped to 36°C on Friday. The minimum temperature was 22°C.
The meteorological department has also predicted rain and partially cloudy skies on Friday evening.
Spells of rains and thunderstorm are expected to beat the heat in Amritsar till June 2, after which the temperature in the region will soar again.
MORE RAINFALL ON THE CARDS FOR CHANDIGARH RESIDENTS
With 5mm of rain recorded between 8:30am and 11:30am in Chandigarh, temperature fell from 29.6°C at 8:30 am to 26.2°C at 11:30 am in Chandigarh. The wind was blowing at 50km/h.
As per the India Meteorological Department, it is likely to continue to rain on Saturday.
GUSTY WINDS BRING DEVASTATION
The showers proved to be a boon for farmers who had just started preparing their fields for sowing paddy.
However, the gusty winds in Patiala and surrounding areas also left a trail of devastation. Trees were uprooted, electricity poles felled and billboards were downed.
Surinder Singh, a farmer from Baran village, said the rain will help the soil regain its humidity, which is good for paddy transplant.
Inundated roads in certain parts of Patiala made commuting an uphill task for motorists. Many commuters had to wade through waterlogged roads and streets in the district.
COMMUTERS BLINDED BY DUST IN LUDHIANA
The high-velocity winds in Ludhiana led to scattering of dust accumulated at construction sites. Commuters, especially those travelling on two wheelers, found it tough to cross the Ferozepur Road where the flyover project is underway.
The dust was emerging the constructing site was blinding the commutes. Many travellers were seeing stopping their vehicles or taking the slip road to avoid dust.
Many pedestrians were seen covering their faces to protect themselves from dust.
Gurmeet Singh Sondhi, a banker, said that water should be sprinkled alongside the construction site to safeguard commuters.
Pooja, a resident of Sham Nagar, said dust had also entered people’s homes.
