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Mercury dips after Sunday rain, yellow alert issued for March 19-20 in Ludhiana
Ludhiana's temperature dropped to 11.5°C after rainfall, with a yellow alert issued. Thunderstorms are expected on March 19-20. Farmers advised to take precautions.
A day after rainfall lashed the city, Ludhiana recorded a sharp drop in the minimum temperature on Monday, bringing relief from the unusually warm conditions witnessed earlier this month. The mercury fell by 5.3°C, with the minimum temperature settling at 11.5°C, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
According to the IMD, Ludhiana remained under a yellow alert on Monday. While no rainfall is expected on Tuesday and Wednesday, the weather department has issued another yellow alert for March 19 and March 20, predicting thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds reaching speeds of 30–40 kmph.
Surender Paul, director of the IMD’s Chandigarh Centre, said the temperature is likely to remain almost the same on Tuesday before dipping slightly again on Wednesday. He added that the changing weather conditions are due to the influence of western disturbances affecting the region. “Light to moderate rainfall along with gusty winds and thunderstorms is expected from March 18,” he said. On Sunday, the city had been placed under an orange alert, with rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds reaching speeds of 40–50 kmph.
Weather experts have advised farmers to remain cautious during this period. The IMD has suggested suspending farming operations temporarily and keeping livestock at safe locations during strong winds and lightning. Scientists at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) had earlier predicted a change in weather conditions in mid-March.
Pavneet Kaur, head of the department of climate change and agricultural meteorology at PAU, had said gusty winds along with light rainfall were expected between March 14 and March 16, particularly in northeastern and central districts of Punjab.
Farmers were also advised to avoid irrigation during this period.
According to PAU data, temperatures during the first week of March remained nearly 5°C above normal, with the mercury touching 7-8°C above the seasonal average on several days. The maximum temperature recorded last Thursday was 30.4°C, about 4.6°C above normal, despite a slight drop from the previous day.
