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Monsoon likely to reach Chandigarh by this weekend
IMD Chandigarh director AK Singh said after taking the past 30 years’ average, the normal date for monsoon’s onset this year came out to be June 27 and it was likely that monsoon will be on time
Monsoon is likely to keep its date with the city, with the first monsoon showers expected by the end of this week, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
IMD Chandigarh director AK Singh said after taking the past 30 years’ average, the normal date for monsoon’s onset this year came out to be June 27 and it was likely that monsoon will be on time.
“Even if arrives three to four days later, it won’t be considered a delay. We anticipate that monsoon will reach the city by the end of the month, provided that no adverse weather effects take place during this time,” he said.
Any activity in the Arabian Sea can hinder the progress of monsoon while activity in the Bay of Bengal is usually seen to make it faster.
This year, between June 10 and June 20, the monsoon system had hit a bit of a lull and didn’t advance beyond the tip of Gujarat towards the south and beyond the north-eastern states towards the east.
Speaking about this, IMD Himachal Pradesh director and former Chandigarh director Surender Paul explained, “Throughout the month, there hadn’t been any systems over the Bay of Bengal, which slowed monsoon down. Even Cyclone Remal at the end of May delayed the system. With no activity in the Bay of Bengal, the system had remained dormant. However, it is now starting to progress and should reach the region by the end of the month.”
Good rains expected
As per IMD’s long-range forecast, a good amount of rain is expected this monsoon with the El Niño current expected to remain subdued while the La Niña current will be stronger which leads to more rain during the season.
After a completely dry May, there has been only 4.8 mm rain this month — 95.6% below normal for the corresponding period.
The onset of monsoon is declared when the monsoon system enters the region and it rains continuously for two days as a whole over the region. The prevailing wind systems in the region are also important for declaring the onset of monsoon.
Premonsoons are defined as the showers in the city that start 48 hours before the onset of monsoon is declared. Easterly and south-easterly winds become predominant during this time, while during the earlier heatwave conditions, the westerly winds from the Rajasthan side were more powerful.
Mercury breaches 40°C mark again
The maximum temperature, which had been on a decline ever since it rained on June 19, has crossed the 40°C mark again.
It went up from 39.4°C on Saturday to 40.4°C on Sunday, 2.9 degrees above normal. The maximum temperature is likely to increase till Wednesday, while from Thursday onwards, when there are chances of rain, a further drop in temperature is expected.
The precipitation from Thursday onwards is likely to be due to premonsoon showers and will continue over the weekend, which is when the monsoon is expected to be declared in the city.
The minimum temperature also rose from 26.7°C on Saturday to 30.3°C on Sunday, 2.7 degrees above normal. Over the next three days, the maximum temperature will remain between 39°C and 41°C, while the minimum temperature will remain in the same ballpark.
