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Misty cover at dawn makes an early arrival in Chandigarh
Explaining the early arrival, Indian Meteorological Department officials said the mist was being witnessed because of the localised showers around Chandigarh
Morning walkers in the city are being greeted by misty dawns, a phenomenon that is not usually seen until after the end of the monsoon season (September-end).
Explaining the early arrival, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said the mist was being witnessed because of the localised showers around the city. They added that the mist cover appears during early mornings and dissipates by 8.30 am.
Speaking about the same, IMD’s local centre director Manmohan Singh said, “Definitely mist can be spotted in parts of the city. This is happening because of the high humidity and because the temperature at dawn has started to drop as compared to the previous days.”
Singh further added that there hadn’t been a heavy rain spell in a few days, due to which the amount of suspended particles in the air had also increased. That, he said, led to the formation of mist. The phenomenon is expected to prevail in the coming days as well, according to the forecast.
At 6 pm on Thursday, the average air quality index (AQI) at the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS), Sector 22, was 115; 125 at CAAQMS, Sector 25; and 135 at the CAAQMS, Sector 53.
AQI is considered moderate if it stays in the 101-200 range. It can, however, cause breathing discomfort to the people with lungs, asthma and heart diseases. During monsoon, the index would traditionally stay between 51-100, which is considered satisfactory by the Central Pollution Control Board.
Notably, AQI had fallen below 50, which is considered as good, after the record-breaking rainfall in July this year.
The forecast has also predicted chances of fresh rainfall between Friday and Sunday.
“A strong cyclonic movement had formed in the Bay of Bengal. It’s movement had led to the spell of rains we saw in previous days. A Western Disturbance (WD) is also likely to affect the region from Friday so rain can be expected,” Singh said.
He said the effect of the WD will be greater in Himachal Pradesh, but was also likely to affect the city. It will continue till Sunday, while chances of light rain will prevail for the next two to three days even after that, albeit with reduced intensity.
The maximum temperature went up from 34.2°C on Wednesday to 35.5°C on Thursday, 2.3 degrees above normal. The minimum temperature, meanwhile, dropped from 28.1°C on Wednesday to 27.8°C on Thursday, 3.4 degrees above normal. Humidity stayed between 64% and 87%.
In the next three days, the maximum temperature will hover around 35°C, while the minimum temperature will remain between 25°C and 27°C.
