E-Paper
North-westerly winds behind the recent chill in Chandigarh: IMD
“There is a chill in the air because of the north-westerly winds that are dry and cold in nature. They will remain active for the next few days and the temperature will remain below normal,” as per Shivinder Singh, scientist at IMD Chandigarh
North-westerly winds coming to the region from Afghanistan are causing the recent drop in temperature, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
As per officials, the chilly winds are expected to continue for the first part of this week.
Speaking about this, Shivinder Singh said, “There is a chill in the air because of the north-westerly winds that are dry and cold in nature. They will remain active for the next few days and the temperature will remain below normal.”
Meanwhile, the winds that can go up to 20 km/h are also keeping fog from forming as humidity is also on the higher side. However, as the temperature drops further, this is likely to change and fog will start appearing.
Even as IMD has not issued any warning, Singh has advised that people take adequate precautions against the chill, especially in the early morning hours when the temperature is lowest. Those travelling late at night or early in the morning should start wearing adequate woollens, as per the IMD.
Meanwhile, a fresh Western Disturbance (WD) will affect the region from Monday onwards, but its effect will be feeble. Singh said while partly cloudy weather could be expected during the day, there will be no rain. Up to moderate fog may start by the end of the week.
Meanwhile, the maximum temperature rose only slightly from 22.2°C on Saturday to 22.3°C on Sunday, three degrees below normal. But the minimum temperature jumped from 7.6°C to 9.2°C on Sunday, but still one degree below normal.
Over the next three days, the maximum temperature will remain between 21°C and 22°C, and the minimum temperature between 9°C and 10°C.
Air quality still poor
The air quality continued to remain poor in parts of the city. At 7 pm, the Average Air Quality Index (AQI) was 237 at the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station in Sector 22, which is considered “poor” and 130 at the Sector 25 station, classified as “moderate”. Data for the Sector 53 station and the Panchkula observatory was not available.
