Chandigarh, June 16: Chandigarh and its nearby areas in Punjab and Haryana were lashed by rains, bringing much relief from a thick haze of dust and pollution that enveloped the region for the past two days, the weather office said on Saturday.
The weather turned pleasant and the visibility cleared following the overnight rainfall, which lasted for around two hours.
The IMD officials said that 21.6mm rain was recorded till 8:30am in the tricity. The minimum temperature took a dive from 31°C on Friday to 23.5°C, a drop of 6.5°C.
In the past two days, Chandigarh and surrounding areas witnessed a dusty weather throughout the day with poor visibility that led to grounding of 27 of the 30 flights from here. Chandigarh’s air quality was recorded at its worst as a pall of dust continued to engulf it on Friday.
The air quality deteriorated due to dust storms originating from western India, mainly from deserts of Rajasthan and adjoining areas. The AQI at all places in Chandigarh has crossed the “severe” category, which meant it is so bad that even healthy people can suffer respiratory problems.
Chandigarh saw the highest ever concentration of PM2.5, a fine pollutant that can reach the lungs directly.
Mercury is expected to fall further over the weekend in the next three days and maximum temperature can go down to 34°C while the minimum is likely to take a plunge to 25°C amid rain and gusty winds on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Strong winds with speeds peaking at 45km/hr are expected on these three days, as a warning for squall has been put out.
“This movement created by western disturbances will pass the city by Monday, but further rainfall from the easterlies is expected throughout the month right up to the monsoons,” said Surender Paul, director of IMD, Chandigarh.
Source Hindustan Times
