Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): A fresh round of monsoon showers swept across parts of Punjab on Thursday, with Jalandhar witnessing heavy rainfall while the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned of intense showers at isolated locations in seven districts. The advisory remains in place for Pathankot, Hoshiarpur, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr), Fatehgarh Sahib, Rupnagar, Patiala, and SAS Nagar (Mohali).
The weather office has predicted partly cloudy conditions over Chandigarh, with intermittent light rain and thunderstorms likely during the day.
Temperatures Rise Despite Rain
Although rainfall has been reported from several areas, the state’s daytime temperature has increased by 2.1 degrees Celsius, bringing it close to the seasonal average. Bathinda remained the hottest city in Punjab, recording a maximum temperature of 39.2°C.
Barnala Records Highest Rainfall
Rainfall activity over the past 24 hours varied across the state. Barnala received the highest rainfall at 12 mm, followed by Amritsar with 6 mm. Gurdaspur recorded 2 mm, while Fatehgarh Sahib and Ludhiana received 1.5 mm each. Only trace rainfall was reported from Pathankot.
Active Weather Systems Behind Showers
Meteorological officials attributed the changing weather to a combination of atmospheric systems. The active monsoon trough across northern India, the lingering influence of a western disturbance, and a cyclonic circulation over Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have increased moisture over Punjab and Chandigarh.
These conditions are expected to bring light to moderate rain and thunderstorms across several regions, with isolated areas likely to experience heavy precipitation during the next 24 hours.
Electricity Consumption Increases
The humid weather has also pushed up electricity consumption across Punjab. The state’s peak power demand touched 14,603 MW. Of this, 4,683 MW was generated within Punjab, while the remaining requirement was met through power supplied by the central grid.
Officials said Punjab received 9,921 MW from the central allocation, which was 497 MW below its scheduled share of 10,418 MW.
Bhakra and Pong Reservoirs Remain Safe
Authorities have confirmed that water levels in the state’s major reservoirs remain well below critical levels despite recent rainfall.
The Bhakra Dam water level was measured at 1,607.17 feet, around 72.83 feet below its danger mark of 1,680 feet. The dam is currently receiving an inflow of 46,663 cusecs, while 23,269 cusecs are being released downstream.
Similarly, the Pong Dam stood at 1,343.6 feet, which is 46.4 feet below its danger level of 1,390 feet. The reservoir is receiving 23,380 cusecs of water and releasing 13,715 cusecs, with officials stating that both dams continue to operate within safe limits.
