E-Paper
Brace for rain, another round of hail in Chandigarh
As per IMD Chandigarh director AK Singh, the system will be most active on Saturday, bringing along rain and gusty winds up to 50 km per hour
With a fresh Western Disturbance active in the city, the India Meteorological Department (IMD)has forecast rain, thunderstorm, gusty winds and even hail in the city on Saturday.
As per IMD Chandigarh director AK Singh, the system will be most active on Saturday, bringing along rain and gusty winds up to 50 km per hour. Chances of rain will continue on Sunday as well, but clear weather was likely from Monday, he said.
IMD has issued an orange alert for Saturday. Orange is the second highest of the four-colour warning system used by IMD, advising people to stay prepared. IMD has also issued a warning to stay indoors and be wary of wind, strong winds and hail.
Night temp to slide
Singh further said after the WD system passes the region, due to clear skies and fresh snowfall in the adjoining hilly areas, the night temperature was expected to fall and could drop to 10°C within the next three days.
On Friday, the minimum temperature rose from 10.8°C on Thursday to 13.1°C, 1.2 degree above normal.
Still, it was already lower than all of March 2023, when the lowest minimum temperature was 13.2°C on March 7, as per IMD. However, in 2022, the minimum temperature had gone down to even 10.5°C on March 2.
The maximum temperature also rose from 25.5°C on Thursday to 26.3°C on Friday, despite cloudy weather all day. It was 1.9 degree above normal and highest so far this season.
Over the next three days, the maximum temperature is likely to remain between 22°C and 23°C, and the minimum temperature between 11°C and 14°C.
Above average rain, night temperature likely this month
As per the long-range forecast issued by IMD, above average rain and minimum temperature is expected this month, while the maximum temperature will remain around normal. This forecast is issued by IMD using probability based models and analysing global phenomena like the El Niño effect.
Normal rain for March is 18.6 mm, which is likely to be crossed in the first week itself, as rain is predicted on Saturday and another WD is expected around March 5. As per Singh, WDs are the main reason for rain around this time of the year. Above average rain can also lead to warmer nights due to cloudy weather.
