Pre-monsoon showers likely to hit city next week
MEANWHILE, THE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE WILL HIT THE 42°C MARK; LIGHT RAIN EXPECTED TOWARDS THE WEEKEND
CHANDIGARH:PRE-MONSOON showers in the city are just a week away as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), with the monsoon also set to keep its date with the city and likely to arrive around two days before the expected date of June 30.
As per IMD Delhi, the monsoon had advanced into more parts of Madhya Pradesh and eastern Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday, though it was expected to happen around June 20.
Chandigarh IMD director Surender Paul said, “Monsoon is approaching faster than normal due to prevalent pressure systems. It seems likely that monsoon will arrive in the region, including Chandigarh, Haryana and western parts of Punjab, around two days before June 30.”
About pre-monsoons, Paul said, “They usually start around three days before onset of monsoon. But this year, they are likely to start even sooner. We can expect pre-monsoon showers around five days before monsoon’s arrival. Their intensity will be higher than last year owing to the confluence of western disturbances and low-level easterly winds with the monsoon winds.”
According to IMD, monsoon rains are expected to be at 107% of the normal 845.7mm estimate, expected between June 1 and September 30, which are considered monsoon months.
MERCURY TO RISE
Meanwhile, the city is currently facing a dry spell, with the maximum temperature reaching the 40 degrees Celsius mark again.
Paul said the maximum temperature can rise as high as 42 degrees in the coming days. “A western disturbance may affect the region from Saturday onwards, so light rain can be expected, but it won’t be considered pre-monsoon showers,” he added. On Tuesday, the maximum temperature went up to 40.4 degrees from 40 degrees on Monday, which was two notches above normal.
The minimum temperature also rose from 29.6 degrees on Monday to 30 degrees on Tuesday, which was the first time this year that it touched the 30 degree mark. This was five degrees above normal. In the next three days, the maximum and minimum temperatures will remain around 42 degrees and 29 degrees, respectively.