Chandigarh, April 21: A brief spell of light rain and thunderstorms is expected to sweep across Punjab and Haryana later this week, potentially ending a period of extreme heat. The India Meteorological Department announced on Tuesday that while the region will face a steady temperature rise through Friday, a shifting weather pattern will likely introduce moisture to the plains by April 26.
The current forecast suggests that temperatures will peak between April 21 and 24 before the arrival of a Himalayan weather system. In the last 24 hours, minimum temperatures dipped as low as 18 degrees Celsius in Karnal, but daytime highs remained consistently above the 40-degree mark in several districts.
“A gradual rise in maximum temperature by 3-4 degrees Celsius is expected during the next five days,” the weather department maintained. Officials stated that the less marked disturbance currently over Jammu and Kashmir will be replaced by a more active system by Thursday.
Statistical reviews show that both states have seen a wetter-than-average spring. Haryana received 30.2 mm of rain against a 22.5 mm average, while Punjab recorded 43.5 mm. Forecasters declared that while the immediate focus remains on managing heat wave conditions, the expected scattered rain and lightning over the weekend will provide a necessary cooling effect for the entire north-western belt.
