A day after a strong thunderstorm swept across the Chandigarh Tricity area following an IMD red alert, the India Meteorological Department on Friday morning issued another nowcast warning. The department predicted thunderstorms, rain and winds of 30-40 kmph over Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula and nearby areas during the next few hours.
Weather experts said the system that triggered Thursday night's storm is still active, though it has weakened considerably. People have been advised to remain indoors during thunderstorm activity and avoid standing under trees or unstable structures.
The storm disrupted normal life across Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula. Several areas reported power cuts, which also affected water supply in some neighbourhoods. Strong winds brought down tree branches, damaged hoardings and affected power infrastructure. Faulty traffic lights led to congestion at several intersections, while traffic movement in parts of Mohali was hit due to the absence of traffic personnel at some busy junctions.
Weather experts said the orange alert issued on Thursday had initially resulted in only light thunderstorms and gusty winds in the morning. However, weather conditions changed later in the evening as a much stronger system developed and caused widespread disruption. Doppler radar images had earlier shown intense thunderstorm activity moving towards the region.
Experts said the overnight storm was in line with the IMD's forecast for northwestern India. An orange alert remains in place for Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana on Friday, with chances of thunderstorms, lightning, hail and squally winds reaching 60-70 kmph at isolated locations.
The IMD has also issued a yellow alert from Saturday to Wednesday. The forecast includes thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds of 40-50 kmph. Fairly widespread rainfall is expected on Friday, followed by scattered showers on Saturday and isolated rain and thunderstorm activity during the following days, indicating unsettled weather conditions through much of the coming week.
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