Monsoon likely to intensify across Punjab and Haryana; IMD forecasts heavy rain till July 12

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast widespread monsoon activity across Punjab and Haryana over the next few days, with heavy rainfall expected at isolated places until July 12, as the southwest monsoon is likely to become fully active across the remaining parts of both states.

According to the IMD’s latest weather bulletin issued on July 7, the monsoon, which had already covered most parts of Punjab and Haryana by July 3, is expected to advance into the remaining areas, including parts of Fazilka and Sri Muktsar Sahib districts in Punjab and Sirsa and Fatehabad districts in Haryana, over the next two to three days.

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The weather office said light to moderate rainfall is likely between July 9 and July 12, with heavy showers expected at isolated locations. A yellow alert has been issued for the period in view of the possibility of intense rainfall in several districts.

The IMD has identified Pathankot, Hoshiarpur, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr), Rupnagar and Mohali in Punjab among the areas likely to receive heavy rain. In Haryana, Panchkula, Ambala, Yamunanagar, Mahendragarh, Rewari, Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh (Mewat) and Palwal are also expected to witness heavy rainfall during the forecast period.

The department said the northern limit of the southwest monsoon had advanced further by July 7, extending through Barmer, Jodhpur, Rajgarh and Bathinda after making progress over parts of northern Gujarat and southern Rajasthan during the past 24 hours.

During the last 24 hours, light to moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds was reported at several places in Punjab and at isolated locations in Haryana. The rainfall kept daytime temperatures below normal, while night temperatures remained close to seasonal averages.

Bathinda recorded Punjab’s highest maximum temperature at 39.1 degrees Celsius, while Adampur registered the state’s lowest minimum temperature at 26.8 degrees Celsius. In Haryana, Sirsa recorded the highest daytime temperature at 38.2 degrees Celsius, whereas Gurugram reported the lowest minimum temperature at 25 degrees Celsius.

Rainfall data released by the IMD showed that Punjab received 32.4 mm of rainfall between July 1 and the morning of July 7 against the long-period average (LPA) of 27.5 mm, reflecting an excess of 18 per cent. Haryana, however, recorded 17.4 mm of rainfall against its LPA of 24 mm during the same period, indicating a rainfall deficit of 27 per cent.

The IMD has also forecast widespread rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds reaching up to 60 kmph at isolated places across Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand until July 13, as monsoon activity remains vigorous over the northern region.