E-Paper
City sees coldest March in 4 years
At 18.7°C, the city also recorded its lowest maximum temperature for March in four years. In 2020, it had gone down to 15.8°C. The minimum temperature this time was the lowest on March 4 at 7.2°C. This is lowest since 2019 when it had gone down to 7°C
With an average maximum temperature of 27.8°C and an average minimum of 14.2°C, the city saw its coldest March since 2020, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD) records.
The average maximum temperature, which is the average of day temperature of all days of the month, was the lowest since March 2020 when it was 25.7°C. Similarly, the average minimum temperature of 14.2°C was the lowest since 2020 when it was at 13.9°C.
At 18.7°C, the city also recorded its lowest maximum temperature for March in four years. In 2020, it had gone down to 15.8°C. The minimum temperature this time was the lowest on March 4 at 7.2°C. This is lowest since 2019 when it had gone down to 7°C.
Speaking about why the month was cooler, Shivinder Singh, scientist at IMD Chandigarh said, “While the month got off to a cooler start due to a colder February, there were frequent western disturbances (WD) throughout the month. Even if some of them didn’t lead to rain, these kept the temperature from rising too quickly.”
96% more rain
The city also recorded 36.5 mm rain this month. This is 96% above the normal rain of 18.6 mm rain for this month, which is calculated by taking the average rain this month for the past 30 years. Last year, 65.7 mm rain was recorded. In 2022, 0 mm rain was recorded. Singh said that the above average rain can also be attributed to the frequent WDs this month.
Snow in hills brings temporary relief, mercury to shoot up now
While there were reports of snowfall in some hill stations of Himachal Pradesh, Singh said that there will be some impact on the temperature here because of it. However, the temperature is likely to rise further now as April starts.
The maximum temperature fell from 32.8°C on Saturday to 32.7°C on Sunday, 1.1 degrees above normal. The minimum temperature meanwhile rose from 17.2°C on Saturday to 19°C on Sunday, also 1.1 degrees above normal.
Over the next three days, the maximum temperature will remain between 30°C and 31°C while the minimum will remain between 19°C and 20°C. There is a chance of thunder activity this week around Friday, however, IMD officials said it will become clearer as the system gets closer.
