E-Paper
Chandigarh sees driest February in 4 decades, warmest in over 13yrs
As per records, there has been no year since 2010 – the year the IMD started keeping records at the Sector 39 IMD observatory – when 0mm rain was recorded in the city. Before this, it was in 1985 that the city had last recorded 0mm rain in February at the Chandigarh airport station.
With no rain recorded throughout the month, the city saw its driest February in almost four decades, India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said. This was also Chandigarh’s hottest February in over 13 years with the average day temperature touching 25.9°C.
As per records, there has been no year since 2010 – the year the IMD started keeping records at the Sector 39 IMD observatory – when 0mm rain was recorded in the city. Before this, it was in 1985 that the city had last recorded 0mm rain in February at the Chandigarh airport station.
As per IMD officials, there were three days -- February 6, February 10 and February 28 -- when trace rain was recorded in the city. Rainfall below
0.1 mm is called trace rain. It is considered insignificant and not added to the monthly total.
Speaking about this, IMD Chandigarh director Manmohan Singh said, “Rain during this season comes from Western Disturbances (WD). We received less than normal WDs this time. The few WDs that were seen in the region were also weak and didn’t lead to rain.”
Singh added that the trend observed this time is likely due to climate change, being witnessed globally. He added that a detailed study is needed on this. “Recently, it has been observed that rain distribution is becoming more and more uneven in the region,” he added.
February warmest in 13 years
This February also had the highest average temperature since 2010 at 25.9°C. The year 2021 came close at 25.4°C and the absolute maximum temperature was the highest that year but overall, this February has been warmer.
Speaking about this Singh said, “This is interlinked with rain. With clear skies, we got the full effect of the sun. The ground also remained dry and got warmer. Overall temperature was higher than normal and it is likely to continue in the coming days as well.”
Expect rain today
With a fresh Western Disturbance (WD) affecting the region, there are chances of light rain in the city on Wednesday. Cloudy weather is likely to persist on Thursday and the system will stop affecting the region from Friday and a rise in day temperature can be expected over the weekend.
Due to cloudy weather and trace rain during the day on Tuesday, maximum temperature went down from 28.8°C on Monday to 26.3°C on Tuesday, 1.7 degrees above normal. The minimum temperature meanwhile increased slightly owing to cloudy weather at night and went up from 11.1°C on Monday to 12.8°C on Tuesday, 3.2 degrees above normal.
Over the next three days, the maximum temperature will remain between 27°C and 29°C while minimum temperature will remain between 13°C and 14°C.
