E-Paper
Chill is here: Night temperature falls below 20°C in Chandigarh
IMD Chandigarh director Surender Paul said dry weather was likely to continue in the region for now; since the withdrawal of monsoon was declared by IMD on October 2, 0 mm rain has been recorded in the city
The minimum temperature dropped below the 20°C mark for the first time this season on the intervening night between Wednesday and Thursday, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The minimum temperature fell from 20.5°C on Wednesday to 19.8°C on Thursday, still 0.5 degree above normal. This is the first time that the minimum temperature has gone below 20°C since summer, while the previous coldest night of this season was on Wednesday, with mercury reading 20.5°C.
Hereon, as per IMD officials, the minimum temperature is likely to fall further, as last year, it had gone down to 13.2°C on October 27.
Speaking about this, IMD Chandigarh director Surender Paul said, “Cool northerly winds are blowing in the region. A gradual decrease in temperature is expected and it will reduce noticeably towards the end of the month.”
Paul added that dry weather was likely to continue in the region for now. Since the withdrawal of monsoon was declared by IMD on October 2, 0 mm rain has been recorded in the city.
As per Paul, after monsoon, Western Disturbances (WD) are the primary source of rain in this region, but the frequency of WDs is also usually low during this phase of changing seasons.
The maximum temperature is also on a decreasing trend and fell from 33.9°C on Wednesday to 33.8°C on Thursday, still 1.7 degree above normal. By next week, it is expected to fall by over two degrees.
Over the next three days, the maximum temperature will remain between 33°C and 34°C, and the minimum temperature between 19°C and 20°C.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) of the city meanwhile continues to remain satisfactory for now. At 8 pm on Thursday, it was 95 at the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS) in Sector 22, 81 at Sector-25 CAAQMS and 92 in Sector-53 CAAQMS.
All of these fall in the satisfactory bracket, which is between 51-100, but can still cause minor breathing discomfort to sensitive people.
