Chandigarh sees wettest December in eight years

CHANDIGARH - This union territory witnessed its rainiest December of the last eight years as it received 58.1 mm rainfall - all from Wednesday night till Friday morning.

Earlier, Chandigarh had recorded 15.2 mm rainfall in December 2003. There was also moderate to heavy rainfall in most parts of Punjab and Haryana since Thursday morning.

Overcast conditions were still prevailing in Chandigarh Friday. The country’s first and only planned city recorded a low of 9.7 degrees Celsius Friday - three degrees above normal.

Most parts of Punjab and Haryana have received moderate to heavy rainfall in the last 24 hours. Due to this, weather has become clear and we have observed a rise in the mercury, a Met official said.

We are expecting light rainfall in this region by Friday evening. This will be followed by dry weather and thick fog in the coming days, he added.

Road, rail and air traffic were affected by the rains and wet conditions.

In Haryana, Ambala shivered at 9.3 degrees Celsius and received 32 mm rainfall till 8:30 a.m. Friday.

Karnal, with 16 mm rainfall, and Hisar with 20.2 mm rainfall recorded minimum temperatures of 11 and 8.2 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Punjabs Patiala city recorded a minimum temperature of 11 degrees Celsius Friday and received 13 mm rainfall, whereas Ludhiana - the industrial hub of Punjab - registered a low of 9.4 degrees Celsius and had a rainfall of 13.4 mm.

Amritsar recorded a minimum temperature of 9.4 degrees Celsius, four degrees above what is normal for December end in that part of north-west Punjab.