Mercury dips as pre-monsoon showers drench Punjab, Haryana

Pre-monsoon showers today drenched vast swathes of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, giving respite to people from sultry weather and bringing cheers to farmers in the two agrarian states.
The maximum temperatures plummeted by up to 14 notches than normal after the heavy rains.
Chandigarh, the joint capital of the two neighbouring states, recorded 90 mm rainfall, MeT officials said.
The maximum temperature in Chandigarh registered a sharp fall by ten degrees than normal to settle at 29.5 deg C.
The showers are likely to ease power situation in Chandigarh and other parts of the region, where power cuts had added to the woes of the people braving hot weather earlier.

"Pre-monsoon showers lashed most parts of Punjab, including Ludhiana (87 mm), Patiala (53 mm) and Amritsar (27 mm), causing a fall in maximum temperature," Chandigarh's MeT Department Director Surinder Paul said.

Amritsar's maximum settled at 30.2 deg C, 10 points below normal, while Ludhiana had a pleasant day at 26 deg C, a record 14 notches below normal. Patiala's maximum at 26.8 deg C settled 12 degrees below normal.
In Haryana, rains lashed Ambala, Panchkula, Karnal, Panipat, Sonepat, Rohtak, Hisar, Narnaul and other places.
The maximum temperature at Ambala dropped to 29.2 deg C, down 10 notches, while Hisar's high settled at 33 deg C, eight points below normal. Karnal and Narnaul recorded respective maximums of 31 deg C and 32 deg C, down by seven and eight notches respectively.

Paul said southwest monsoon can be expected to hit the two states and Chandigarh over a week in advance. While the normal date of arrival of monsoon in the region is between June 29 to July 5, this year it is expected to arrive around June 20.
Agriculturists say rain is highly beneficial for kharif crops like paddy. Continued rain will also help replenish depleting underground water table.