Rain lashes Punjab, Haryana; mercury drops

Light to moderate rains Saturday lashed several parts of Punjab and Haryana, plummeting the maximum temperatures in the region by up to three degrees Celsius below normal limits.

Amritsar was drenched by 28.2 mm of rains, followed by Ludhiana 14 mm, Ambala 12 mm and Patiala 10 mm, the weather department said.

Union Territory Chandigarh also received a rainfall of 23 mm.

The maximum temperatures in the region oscillated between three degrees Celsius below normal to two notches above normal levels, it said.

Hisar in Haryana settled at a high of 39 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal, while Narnaul had a high of 38.5 degrees celsius, two notches below normal.

Among other places in the region, Patiala had a high of 34 degrees Celsius, one notch below normal, followed by 33.5 degrees Celsius at Amritsar, two notches below normal, 32.6 degrees Celsius at Ambala, two notches below normal, and 31.4 degrees Celsius at Karnal, two notches below normal.

Chandigarh, which is also the common capital of Punjab and Haryana, settled at a high of 31.8 degrees celsius, three notches below normal.

The relative humidity levels in the region oscillated between 54 to 100 per cent.

The weather department has predicted light to moderate rains at many places in the region during the next 24 hours.