At 40.8°C, Chandigarh records hottest July day in nine years
Heatwave continues for the second consecutive day; rain relief expected in Chandigarh on Friday and Saturday
In no respite from the heatwave, the city’s maximum temperature shot up to 40.8°C on Thursday, making it the hottest July day since 2012 as per India Meteorological Department (IMD) records.
In 2012, the maximum temperature had gone up to 42.5°C on July 2, while the all-time highest of 43.5°C was recorded on July 9, 1982.
According to IMD, in the plains, heatwave is declared if maximum temperature is more than 40°C and at least 4.5 degrees above normal, or if it crosses 45°C.
Thursday’s day temperature was 5.1 degrees above normal, leaving the city sweating under the heatwave for the second day in a row.
Speaking about the spiking day temperature, Shivinder Singh, scientist at IMD, Chandigarh, said, “The north-westerly winds coming from Pakistan have warmed up the region and absence of cloud cover is exacerbating the heat.”
IMD recommends that during a heatwave, people must avoid exposure to heat, wear light-weight and light-coloured clothes, and cover the head with a cloth, hat or umbrella. It is also recommended to drink sufficient water even if not thirsty.
Some rain relief is on the cards on Friday and Saturday. But it may not affect the temperature much and will allow the sweltering weather to continue, said Singh.
“Easterly winds are needed to strengthen the currently subdued monsoon system, but are unlikely to blow in the region for at least a week. But western disturbances and moisture from the monsoon system are likely to bring light to moderate rain up to 30mm from Friday onwards,” he added.
Meanwhile, the minimum temperature decreased slightly from 28.8°C on Wednesday to 28.4°C, but was still four notches above normal.
The maximum temperature is expected to remain between 39°C and 40°C over the next three days, while the minimum temperature will hover around 28°C.
Power pangs continue
Power outages also continued in Chandigarh and Mohali for the second consecutive day, worsening residents’ troubles in the scorching weather.
Chairman of Chandigarh Residents Association Welfare Federation (CRAWFED) Hitesh Puri said, “We had spoken to the UT electricity department officials on Wednesday but the power cuts persisted on Thursday. We will meet UT chief engineer CB Ojha on Thursday as anticipatory measures must be adopted by the electricity department for when the power demand rises.”
