City residents’ long wait for a decent rain spell ended on Wednesday with 6.2 mm rain, which caused the mercury to drop by 3.4 degrees, providing respite from the scorching heat.
Residents woke up to cloudy weather and trace rainfall (below 0.1 mm) on Wednesday morning, which was followed by cool winds up to 4 km/h and 6.2 mm more rain during the day, a first in the past 67 days, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Due to the change in weather, the maximum temperature dipped from 36.7°C on Tuesday to 33.3°C on Wednesday, 4.1 degrees below normal. The minimum temperature also went down from 29.5°C to 26.3°C, but was 4.8 notches above normal.
Ever since February 26, when the city had received 5.2 mm rain, the city recorded no more showers, except trace rainfall on April 15 and April 21.
Speaking about this, IMD Chandigarh director Manmohan Singh said, “There was trace rainfall in the morning due to the WD and more rain was recorded in the late afternoon due to pressure differences. Although it was just light rain that didn’t last long, it provided relief from the severe heat.”
While there is small chance of light rain on Thursday morning as well, the dry heat will be back from Friday onwards and the maximum temperature is likely to cross the 40°C mark again next week.
{{/usCountry}}While there is small chance of light rain on Thursday morning as well, the dry heat will be back from Friday onwards and the maximum temperature is likely to cross the 40°C mark again next week.
{{/usCountry}}Over the next three days, the maximum temperature will remain around 37°C, while the minimum temperature will hover around 24°C.
Air quality improves
The rain also helped cleaned the city’s air. The Air Quality Index (AQI) at the monitoring station in Sector 22 came down from 167 at 6 pm on Tuesday to 97 at 6 pm on Wednesday. Similarly, in the same period, AQI reduced from 157 to 119 at the monitoring station in Sector 53 and from 138 to 104 at the station in Sector 25.
When between 100-200, AQI is considered moderate and may cause breathing discomfort in people with lungs and heart diseases, while an AQI between 50 to 100 AQI is considered satisfactory, but may still lead to minor breathing discomfort in sensitive people.
Hailstorm in Panchkula
As rain started in Panchkula on Wednesday morning, there were reports of hailstorm from some parts of the city . “We also received similar reports, but weren’t able to measure any hail there. People can send us details and pictures of observed weather, like in case of a hailstorm, through the ‘Public Observation IMD’ App, which will help us maintain a better record of the observed weather,” said Manmohan Singh.