People enjoy boat rides on the Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh on Thursday. (Express photo by Jasbir Malhi)Written by Sumedha Sharma
LIGHT TO moderate rainfall is expected in the city and other parts of Punjab and Haryana Friday due to the prevalence of an ongoing Western Disturbance over the region, weather officials said Thursday, adding that 0.3 mm rainfall was recorded in Chandigarh during the day.
“Light to moderate rain is likely in isolated places on February 15 and 16, and thereafter the weather is expected to be a bit dry. There will be an increase in intensity…in the subsequent 24-36 hrs with rainfall in almost all parts of both states… A general warning of thunderstorms accompanied with hail at isolated areas has been issued,” an official of the MeT department said.
As per the official data of the Chandigarh MeT department, the city had recorded 59.6 mm rainfall in February 2018, while 32.0 mm rainfall has been recorded this month till Thursday.
Professor Karanjot Brar of Panjab University’s department of geography, while speaking to Chandigarh Newsline, said, “The changes taking place are primarily due to land use and land cover change in relation to the destruction of natural vegetation cover, which include forest and wild growth.” However, Brar added, “We cannot talk about Chandigarh in isolation. It is a part of a larger system.”
On Thursday, the city recorded a maximum temperature of 23.3 degree Celsius – which is 1 degree Celsius above normal. Due to cloudy weather and rainfall, there has been a substantial increase in temperature at night. The minimum temperature Wednesday night was 13.2 degree Celsius, which is 5 degree Celsuis above normal.
In its forecast bulletin for Friday, the MeT department said the temperature at daytime is expected to remain around 18 degree Celsuis.
