CHANDIGARH About 1218.5mm of rain over the past 12 months in Chandigarh has made 2020 its wettest year in a decade, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) records have revealed.
This is 15% above the normal precipitation figure (1059.3mm) for the city, which is calculated by taking the average of the past 30 years. Last year, total 916mm of rain had been recorded and it was 13.5% deficient. After 2020, the second highest rainfall in the past decade was in 2018 at 1069.3mm, 0.94% in excess of normal.
Explaining what was different in 2020, Chandigarh IMD director Surender Paul said, “This year, there were lesser western disturbances (WD) that affected the region. Though WDs bring a lot of rain to the region, they also push back the moisture-laden easterly winds which are usually present up to the southern parts of Haryana. Due to the interaction of both these systems this year, there was higher than normal rain.”
Paul added that while Chandigarh received higher than normal rain, its adjoining stations were mostly at normal. “Chandigarh’s position at the foothills of the Himalayas also works favourably for rainfall here. We had above normal monsoons and strong pre-monsoons in the city,” he added.
Total 920.1mm of rain was received in the monsoon months, making it higher than the normal of 845.7mm — 8.8% in excess. However, Paul said it was too early to determine whether the same trend will continue this year and how much rain can be expected in the 2021 monsoon.
{{/usCountry}}Total 920.1mm of rain was received in the monsoon months, making it higher than the normal of 845.7mm — 8.8% in excess. However, Paul said it was too early to determine whether the same trend will continue this year and how much rain can be expected in the 2021 monsoon.
{{/usCountry}}Rain likely from today
Western disturbances will be active in the city from Saturday onwards and chances of rain will continue up to January 5. “While possibility of rain will be low on Saturday, up to 30mm rain can be expected Sunday onwards,” said Paul. An orange warning for thunderstorm and hail has been issued by the IMD in the region on Sunday and Monday, asking people to be prepared.
The rain is likely to bring relief from the frequent spells of cold wave in the city. “Wind speeds will increase from Saturday due to which fog formation will be affected. However, temperature will rise after January 6 again and dense fog could engulf the region. It is likely that temperatures will fall further and we will see the coldest spell of the season in this duration,” the IMD director said.
Visibility on Friday morning dropped below 50 metres, while the fog made the minimum temperature rise up from 2.7°C on Thursday to 6.1°C. Maximum temperature went up from 16.3°C on Thursday to 17.4°C on Friday. In the next three days, day temperature will remain between 18°C and 20°C while night temperature will be 7- 9°C.