Ludhiana: Rain dips temperature, weather likely to remain cloudy

LUDHIANA: The city on Thursday witnessed a drizzle pouring in the late sunny afternoon, followed by heavy showers and thunderstorms, along with cold winds early in the evening.
According to the Department of Climate Change and Agricultural Meteorology, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), the weather is expected to remain cloudy with the possibility of light rainfall and gusty winds over Ludhiana and its adjoining areas for the next two days, to be followed by clear skies in the days thereafter.
The unexpected rainfall due to western disturbance after sunny days brought a dip in the prevailing warmer temperatures. The maximum temperature in the city on Thursday was recorded at 24.2 degrees Celsius (2.5 degrees above normal), while the minimum temperature was 16.6 degrees Celsius (a whopping 8.6 degrees above normal). The rise in minimum temperature was considered by the Met department as quite high, which thereafter resulted in a cooler night, indicating a prolonged winter, while the relative humidity was recorded at 79%.
This year, temperatures have shown greater variations as compared to last year in February. In 2019 during the same time, the minimum temperature was just 2-3 degrees above normal, while the maximum temperature was 1 degree below normal as per meteorological recordings.
PAU’s agricultural meteorologist Dr KK Gill stated, “Last week saw a sharp increase in temperatures due to warmer conditions, with the maximum temperature being recorded at around 26 degrees Celsius. The increase though was not favourable for rabi crops, putting them at risk. Now, due to the dip in maximum temperature, the conditions have turned favourable again for rabi crops.”
Meanwhile, sunny days last week had made residents expect the early onset of summers, but the cloudiness and rainfall on Thursday indicated that winter had not yet departed. “The sunny weather and clear skies for the past few days indicated a gradual departure of winter. But the sudden rainfall and cold winds have somewhat brought the chilly conditions back,” said businessman Paramjit Singh, a resident of Model Town.