Chandigarh: Rain-bearing clouds continued to dominate the weather over Punjab and Chandigarh, with showers expected across several parts of the region on Thursday. The ongoing monsoon activity has also brought some relief from the recent heat, with Punjab’s maximum temperature falling by 0.7 degrees Celsius.
The Meteorological Department has forecast light to moderate rainfall across all districts of Punjab during the day. Chandigarh is likely to remain partly cloudy and could receive one or two spells of rain, with thunderstorms possible in some areas.
Among the districts, Pathankot, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr, Rupnagar and Mohali are expected to receive light to moderate showers. Other districts, including Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ferozepur, Moga, Ludhiana, Barnala, Sangrur, Fatehgarh Sahib and Patiala, may witness rain at isolated locations.
Similar weather conditions are possible in Fazilka, Faridkot, Muktsar, Bathinda and Mansa, where light to moderate rainfall has been forecast.
The active weather pattern is linked to the monsoon trough, which is currently extending through Ferozepur and other parts of northern India. Its position is supporting increased moisture and cloud formation over Punjab and neighbouring areas.
According to India Meteorological Department observations, Ropar recorded the highest rainfall in the state on August 19. Ropar KVK received 8 mm of rain between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm. Bhakra Dam recorded 4 mm, followed by Ludhiana with 3.4 mm and Pathankot KVK with 3 mm.
Chandigarh received 0.5 mm of rainfall during the same period. No rain was recorded at several monitoring locations, including Ferozepur, Amritsar, Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Jalandhar, Ludhiana AWS, Mohali and Sangrur.
Bathinda recorded the highest maximum temperature in Punjab at 35.8 degrees Celsius. With more showers likely, temperatures are expected to remain close to the seasonal normal in several parts of the state.
