Chandigarh: After a relatively dry Sunday, rain activity is expected to increase across Punjab and Chandigarh from Monday, with the Meteorological Department forecasting showers in several areas and issuing a yellow alert for parts of three districts.
Hoshiarpur, Pathankot and Rupnagar, particularly areas close to the Himachal Pradesh border, are likely to receive rain. Chandigarh is expected to remain partly cloudy, with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers possible during the day.
The weather remained largely dry across Punjab on Sunday, pushing temperatures higher. The average maximum temperature rose by around 3.2 degrees Celsius, bringing it closer to the normal range. Sri Anandpur Sahib recorded the state’s highest temperature at 36°C.
Despite the broader monsoon activity, rainfall remained limited across much of the state, with 17 districts recording deficient or very low rainfall during the period.
Two weather systems may boost rainfall
According to Surendra Pal, Director of the Meteorological Department, a low-pressure system that developed over Gangetic West Bengal has moved towards Jharkhand and is now gradually progressing towards Chhattisgarh.
At the same time, another low-pressure area has developed north of Jaipur. The trough linking the two systems has shifted westward from the Delhi region towards Rajasthan.
Meteorologists expect these developments to influence weather conditions over northwestern India and could increase the chances of rainfall in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and the neighbouring hill states.
West coast also likely to see heavy showers
The weather pattern is not restricted to northern India. A strong Somali jet stream along the western coast is expected to contribute to heavy rainfall from Goa to Kerala.
The changing weather systems could subsequently influence rainfall activity over parts of north India, while some areas of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh may experience comparatively less rain.
Heat pushes Punjab’s power demand higher
The dry spell and rising humidity have already begun showing their impact on electricity consumption in Punjab.
The state’s power demand touched 13,243 MW on Sunday night. Punjab’s own generation contributed 4,934 MW, while 8,307 MW was sourced from the grid.
The state’s scheduled grid drawal was 7,987 MW, meaning an additional 320 MW had to be drawn to meet the higher requirement. Grid frequency during the period stood at 50.05 Hz.
With rainfall expected to pick up, the coming days could bring some relief from the heat and humidity. However, the distribution of rainfall is likely to remain uneven, particularly in districts that have received little precipitation so far.
