Pre-monsoon showers on the way to beat heat
According to IMD, pre-monsoons are defined as showers that start at least 48 hours before monsoon’s advent is declared
As the city waits with bated breath for showers to bring relief from the soaring temperatures, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast pre-monsoon rain towards the weekend, to be followed soon by the monsoon.
“Currently, a Western Disturbance is active over the region, which may cause on-and-off rainfall over the next few days. However, rain activity is expected to pick up again by the weekend, especially around Sunday. This will be due to the onset of easterly winds, a telltale sign of the monsoon’s arrival in the region,” said Surender Paul, director, IMD Chandigarh.
Pre-monsoons are defined as showers that start at least 48 hours before monsoon’s advent is declared.
Paul added that the monsoon system had stalled for the past 10 days, but the system was likely to pick up pace again. Since May 26, the northern limit of the monsoon has not moved past Maharashtra. “If similar conditions persist, we expect the monsoon system to advance towards our region by next week,” Paul added.
The normal date of monsoon’s onset in Chandigarh is June 27 and despite the delay, Paul said, it was expected to keep its date with the city. Last year, monsoon was announced on July 1.
The rainy season’s arrival is declared when the monsoon system enters the region and it rains continuously for two days as a whole. The prevailing wind systems in the region are also important for declaring the onset, as most of the rain should be caused by the easterly winds.
Another sign is high humidity, although this year, it has already been higher than normal through June so far.
Night temp climbs to season’s highest again
Even as the maximum temperature dropped from 42.2°C on Saturday to 37.7°C on Sunday, the minimum temperature rose from 28.6°C to 32.7°C.
This is the second time in the past three days that the minimum temperature has soared to this level — the warmest since 2017 when it had shot up to 32.8°C on June 14.
Paul attributed the rise to the overnight thunder activity in the region. “The cloud cover and high humidity at night kept the heat from leaving, causing the mercury to climb. With rain, it is expected to drop below 30°C soon, but will still be above normal.”
Even though the minimum temperature was an uncomfortable 6.2 degrees above normal, it still wasn’t a “warm night” as the maximum temperature did not cross 40°C.
After Saturday, Sunday was the second day without heatwave or warm night conditions after the recent spike in temperatures in the city.
With chances of light rain and thunderstorms for most of this week, the mercury is unlikely to spike as high again. Over the next three days, the maximum temperature may settle anywhere between 33°C and 36°C, and the minimum temperature around 29°C.
