Chandigarh: The monsoon, retreating or otherwise, handed out several surprises this season. The latest came on Monday, when it rained for much of the day despite there being no forecast for it. With the heat turned down a few notches, the surprise was a pleasant one.The rainfall was moderate but lasted a few hours, leading to a sharp 5.1-degree Celsius drop in the day temperature. The result was a cool and breezy start to the week.The situation was in stark contrast to several days of the recently withdrawn monsoon, when there was not a drop of rain despite weather department forecasts.On Monday, the city received 9.4mm of rain between 8:30am and 5:30pm, the weather department said. The maximum temperature fell to 25.4 degrees Celsius, seven degrees below normal. Monday’s temperature was quite close to the all-time lowest maximum temperature recorded in September — 23 degrees Celsius, recorded on Sept 30, 2019. Incidentally, such a drop came despite about 16% less rainfall this season.The minimum temperature of 22.1 degrees Celsius is normal, but the value is expected to fall in Tuesday’s reading, when Monday night’s temperature will be recorded.Panchkula recorded the highest rainfall in the Tricity at 15.5mm, while Mohali recorded 7.5mm.Looking ahead, the MeT department has issued a forecast of “partly cloudy sky/thunderstorm/rain” for Tuesday and Wednesday in the Tricity.The next three days are likely to see partly or mainly cloudy skies, with no forecast of rain. Thereafter, the temperature is expected to rise gradually over the next five days.The monsoon withdrew slightly early from Chandigarh, with 16.1% less rain than normal recorded as of Sept 23. It had arrived on July 1, a week later than its normal date. A total of 697.6mm of rain was recorded at the Sector 39 weather station, the second-lowest figure in seven years.
