Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): Residents of Punjab and Chandigarh may witness intermittent rain and cloudy skies over the next few days, but the much-awaited relief from oppressive heat and humidity is likely to arrive only after the southwest monsoon enters the region in early July.
Light rainfall during the night brought some respite to Pathankot, while several other districts are expected to witness isolated showers and thunderstorms. Weather officials have forecast rain in parts of Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Sangrur, Patiala, Mohali, Rupnagar, Fatehgarh Sahib and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, although no weather warning has been issued for the day.
According to meteorologists, the southwest monsoon has continued its advance across central India and is expected to move through Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh before reaching Punjab by around July 3. The delay means the state will continue to experience hot and humid conditions for a few more days.
Maximum temperatures across Punjab remain well above normal, touching nearly 40°C in several districts. With minimum temperatures hovering around 30°C, the narrow gap between day and night temperatures has resulted in uncomfortable weather even after sunset. Faridkot remained one of the hottest locations in the state, recording the highest daytime temperature.
Chandigarh is also expected to witness partly cloudy skies with isolated spells of drizzle, but weather experts believe these brief showers will have only a limited impact on the ongoing humid conditions.
Meteorological officials have indicated that atmospheric conditions are likely to change from July 1 onwards as moisture from the Bay of Bengal begins interacting with a western disturbance approaching north India. This combination is expected to trigger widespread rainfall, thunderstorms and gusty winds across Punjab.
A yellow alert has been indicated for July 1 and 2, with forecasts suggesting thunderstorms, lightning and winds reaching speeds of up to 50 kmph in several districts. Rainfall during this period is expected to bring down temperatures by around 3 to 5 degrees Celsius.
The anticipated arrival of the monsoon is expected to provide significant relief not only to residents battling the prolonged heatwave but also to farmers, particularly those engaged in paddy transplantation, as widespread rainfall is likely to improve field conditions across the Malwa and Doaba regions.
