Chandigarh, May 7: The tricity witnessed nature’s fury on Monday evening as strong winds hit residents. Dry winds moving at nearly 60 km per hour disrupted power supply. Trees were uprooted, while branches of several others fell at many places.
There were reports of traffic jams at a few places due to the squall.
According to the Met Department, strong winds hit the city late at night.
While the storm alert kept the UT Administration on its toes and led to the closure of schools for two days, Surinder Paul, Director, Chandigarh Meteorological Centre, advised residents to remain wary of mischief mongers.
Earlier during the day, the Met office was flooded with calls from panic-stricken residents, who wanted to know the status of the storm. Paul said till the afternoon, the department had received nearly 500 calls from people seeking weather updates.
Some residents were sharing videos of the storm on the social media. “People should not pay heed to those who are circulating such videos on the social media,” said Paul. He advised people not to panic. “The storm is not so intense in Chandigarh. It is a routine weather activity occurring due to a western disturbance,” said Paul.
Strong winds and thundershowers were witnessed early in the morning, while the afternoon remained partly cloudy.
The maximum temperature recorded in the city on Monday was 38°C, while the minimum temperature was 20.8°C. The Meteorological Department observatory recorded 3.8 mm of rainfall.
The Health Department remained on its toes. “In view of the storm warning, we have put all our health facilities on alert. Round-the-clock ambulance service will be available. Any resident facing any problem can call the 108 ambulance service. Besides, the trauma and surgery units have also been also put on alert. Our disaster management programme has also been activated. Doctors and paramedical staff have been intimated that they should be ready,” said Dr G Dewan, Director, Health Services.
The railway authorities also issued an advisory and alerted the staff in view of the storm warning. Hari Deep Kumar, station director, said all necessary steps had been taken for the safety of the passengers.
