The city recorded 6.1mm rain and gusty winds up to 85km per hour on Thursday evening that caused the temperature to drop.
The rain and thunder also led to power outages in various parts of the tricity, with the situation not normalising for over two hours.
As clouds started forming in the evening, winds up to 50km per hour were recorded. When the rain arrived around 8pm, hail was also reported in some areas. In the next three hours, the day temperature dropped from 34.2°C at 5.30pm to 28.8°C at 11.30pm.
Overall, the maximum temperature went down from 41.9°C on Wednesday to 35.4°C on Thursday. The minimum temperature remained unchanged at 30.5°C.
In the next three days, the day temperature will remain between 34°C and 37°C and the night temperature will be between 25°C and 28°C.
Orange alert issued
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for Chandigarh, forecasting moderate to heavy rain on Saturday and Sunday.
“Rain between 30mm and 70mm is expected over northern Haryana, which will affect Chandigarh as well. During these two days, at least one spell of heavy rain is likely,” said Shivinder Singh, scientist at IMD, Chandigarh.
IMD officials said light rain up to 20mm is likely on Friday as well.
{{/usCountry}}IMD officials said light rain up to 20mm is likely on Friday as well.
{{/usCountry}}Speaking about how his system formed, Singh said, “The previous showers were due to western disturbances, but those expected over the weekend will be a result of interaction between Westerlies and Easterlies, and moisture coming in from the south. Chances of light to moderate rain are likely to continue on Monday as well.”
After red alert, an orange alert is the second-highest warning issued by the IMD.
It has recommended that people check their drainage networks and avoid standing under trees or weak structures during Saturday and Sunday. Farmers have been advised against applying pesticide and insecticide to crops and to protect harvested produce.