Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): A weakening monsoon has brought warmer and more humid conditions to Punjab and Chandigarh, even as parts of the state are expected to receive rain on Friday. The Meteorological Department has forecast rainfall in Pathankot, Hoshiarpur, Rupnagar and Gurdaspur, while Chandigarh is likely to remain dry.
The weather situation is expected to change again over the weekend, with heavy rain likely across Punjab and Chandigarh on September 14 and 15.
Mercury climbs as humidity increases
The state’s average maximum temperature rose by 0.3°C on Thursday and remained 2.7°C above normal. The combination of higher temperatures and humidity has made conditions uncomfortable in several areas.
Rainfall was reported from two places during the day. Ludhiana received 11.4 mm, while Rupnagar recorded 0.5 mm.
Chandigarh registered a maximum temperature of 36.5°C. In Punjab, Patiala emerged as the hottest location at 37.5°C, followed by Rupnagar at 37.1°C.
Three weather systems influencing conditions
The prevailing weather pattern is being shaped by the combined influence of three systems.
The monsoon trough currently stretches from Jammu across Dehradun, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand before reaching a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal. A cyclonic circulation is also present in the upper levels of the atmosphere over northern Haryana and adjoining regions.
At the same time, a Western Disturbance is active over northern Pakistan and Jammu. Their combined influence could result in increased cloud cover and isolated rain or thunderstorms over parts of Punjab and Chandigarh.
Punjab draws over 7,000 MW from outside
The weather conditions are also unfolding against the backdrop of high electricity demand in Punjab.
At 6:30 am, the state’s power requirement stood at 11,116 MW, while its own generation was 4,002 MW. The gap of 7,114 MW was being met through power procured from outside the state.
The grid frequency at the time was recorded at 49.43 Hz.
Bhakra, Pong remain below full levels
Water storage in the state’s major reservoirs continues to remain below their designated full reservoir levels.
The water level at Bhakra Dam stood at 1,643.91 feet. The reservoir was receiving 28,765 cusecs of water, while 25,913 cusecs was being released.
At Pong Dam, the water level was recorded at 1,372.42 feet. Its inflow stood at 11,640 cusecs against an outflow of 13,009 cusecs.
With another spell of stronger rainfall forecast for September 14 and 15, the coming days could bring some relief from the prevailing heat while also influencing water inflows into the state’s reservoirs.
