After enduring an intense month-long heatwave, the Chandigarh tricity — including Mohali and Panchkula — witnessed major relief as a dust storm covered the skies in the early morning on Friday. The three cities woke up to overcast conditions with a mild breeze that soon turned into a light to moderate dust storm sweeping across the region.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert at 9 am, warning of thunderstorms accompanied by rain and gusty winds that could reach speeds of 30 to 40 kmph over parts of Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula and adjoining areas within the next two to three hours.
Meanwhile, active storm cell formations were also detected by radar imagery from the Patiala Doppler Weather Radar.
An advisory has been issued urging citizens to stay indoors during thunderstorm activity and avoid taking shelter under trees.
The Punjab Nowcast, also issued around 9 am, flags a more intense spell just to the south and east.
A moderate thunderstorm with wind speeds of 40 to 60 kmph and lightning is very likely over parts of Fatehgarh Sahib, Amloh, Bassi Pathana, Khanna, Payal, Khamano, Ludhiana East, Chamkaur Sahib, Samrala, Ropar, Ludhiana West, Phillaur, Balachaur, Nawanshahr, Anandpur Sahib and Garhshankar.
A lighter thunderstorm with winds of 30 to 40 kmph and lightning is very likely over a broader sweep that includes Chandigarh, Mohali, Kharar, Patiala, Nabha, Rajpura, Barnala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Phagwara, Nakodar, Hoshiarpur, Dasuya and Nangal.
Parts of Punjab, including the capital city, would finally breathe some relief as the state was witnessing an intense heat spell with temperatures scaling to 44.4 degrees Celsius and 44.2 degrees Celsius over the past two days.
According to the IMD, these were the two highest recorded temperatures in the city since 2012.
The five-day forecast issued on Thursday evening had already indicated partly cloudy skies for Friday and Saturday, with a maximum of 42°C on Friday and 40°C on Saturday — modest steps down from the recent peak.
Follow us
