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Scorcher of a June! Chandigarh records longest heatwave in over 11 years
Heatwave continued for seven straight days until Friday before strong winds made their way to Chandigarh on Saturday
Sizzling under heatwave conditions for seven consecutive days until Friday, Chandigarh recorded the longest heatwave in June since 2011, according to the data available with the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
After leaving residents sweating, the heatwave finally abated on Saturday after a Western Disturbance (WD) made its way to the region, causing the maximum temperature to drop from 44.3°C on Friday to 42.9°C on Saturday, 3.7 degrees above normal.
As per IMD, a heatwave in this region is declared when the maximum temperature goes beyond 40°C and is 4.5 to 6.4 degrees above normal.
According to the IMD data gathered since June 2011, the seven-day heatwave this month came close only to 2014, when heatwave conditions were recorded on six days. But even these were not consecutive days as seen this year.
Speaking about this, IMD Chandigarh director Manmohan Singh said, “A high-pressure area had formed over southern Haryana over the past week. This was bringing dry south-westerly winds, originating from Rajasthan, to the region. Humidity was very low and without any strong WD, the maximum temperature was allowed to rise unchecked.”
Meanwhile, the minimum temperature also came down from 29.8°C on Friday to 29°C on Saturday, 3.8°C above normal.
With gusty winds between 30-40 km/h blowing on Saturday night, city’s maximum temperature decreased from 42.4°C at 5.30 pm to 33.7°C at 8.30 pm.
A drizzle was recorded near the Sector 39 IMD observatory around 8.15 pm, but stopped after 15 minutes.
IMD officials said chances of light rain will continue on Sunday and another heatwave was unlikely in the coming week.
“The WD is unlikely to cause rain in the city, but it will bring in easterly winds. Laden with moisture, these will contribute to rise in humidity. As humidity increases, the day temperature cannot go as high as 44°C. Surface winds, which can rise up to 40 km/hr, will also blow until the WD leaves,” Singh said.
Singh said a good spell of rain was unlikely in the coming days, but there were chances of a thunderstorm around June 15.
While the monsoon is expected to start in the city around the end of the month, there is still no clarity on its exact arrival. Over the next three days, the maximum temperature will remain between 42°C and 43°C, while the minimum temperature will stay around 29°C.
