At 31.7°C, Chandigarh sees warmest night of season, power demand sees all-time high of 452 MW
A warm night is declared when the maximum temperature is above 40°C and the minimum goes over 4.5 degrees above normal. On Wednesday, the minimum had gone 5.4 degrees above normal.
City residents tossed and turned as night temperatures shot up to 31.7°C on Wednesday, making it the warmest night of the season so far. Though there was a marginal dip in the day temperatures, from 43.9°C on Tuesday to 41.9°C on Wednesday, the power demand surged to 452 MW — the highest ever peak demand — amid an ongoing heatwave. The previous peak was 449 MW on June 13 last year, UT administration officials confirmed.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Wednesday night was the season’s first “warm night”.
A warm night is declared when the maximum temperature is above 40°C and the minimum goes over 4.5 degrees above normal. On Wednesday, the minimum had gone 5.4 degrees above normal.
If the minimum goes over 6.5 degrees above normal, then a ‘severe warm night’ is declared.
This was also the highest the minimum temperature has gone in the month of June since 2022 when it was at 31.9°C.
Wait till weekend for some relief
Met officials said the temperature is set to remain on the higher side till the weekend.
IMD Chandigarh director Surender Paul said the temperature continues to be high due to the effect of Westerly winds along with bright sunny weather. However, a fresh Western Disturbance (WD) is likely to bring relief over the weekend. While the WD will start affecting the region from Saturday, residents can expect thunderstorms and light rain from Sunday, he added. Further, rain in Himachal Pradesh will also lead to cooler winds here and the monsoon system is also set to become active again by the weekend, the IMD director said.
Over the next three days, the maximum temperature will remain between 42°C and 43°C while the minimum temperature will remain between 31°C and 32°C.
How tricity stands power wise
Meanwhile, the Chandigarh Power Distribution Limited (CPDL) said it successfully met the unprecedented load on Wednesday without any breakdowns.
“Our robust planning, network strengthening, and strategic power tie-ups helped us to manage the peak demand efficiently,” said Arun Kumar Verma, director, CPDL. Power demand is expected to climb further, possibly crossing 481 MW, he added.
In Mohali, the power demand surged to approximately 1,500 megawatts on Wednesday. However, authorities said, the supply remained stable as the district has an installed power capacity of around 1,900 megawatts, which is sufficient to handle peak demand without disruption.
“There is no shortage of electricity in Mohali. We are comfortably meeting the power requirements of all sectors,” said an official from the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL). Mohali has about 25 grid substations that draw electricity from various sources, including the Rajpura and Ropar thermal power plants, as well as the Ganguwal hydroelectric project.
Panchkula residents, however, are grappling with frequent power outages and voltage fluctuations. Unscheduled cuts, especially in trans-Ghaggar areas, have left residents hassled. Mohit Gupta, a resident of Sector-25, cited Wednesday’s example and said, “While a scheduled power cut was announced for parts of Sector-26 from 4.30 pm to 6 pm, electricity was only restored around 7 pm.
When contacted, an official from the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) said he was unable to provide day-to-day details regarding power consumption.
