Chandigarh, August 23
A short spell of torrential rain lashed the city this morning, inundating various areas. The city has recorded 24.9 per cent more rainfall this monsoon than the normal so far.
The sky had been overcast since early morning. Around 9 am, the momentum picked up as a thick blanket of grey clouds poured down aggressively over the city.
Several sectors were under a sheet of water as the city experienced heavy rain for about an hour.
Admitting it was the season’s heaviest rainfall - 25mm - in a short spell in the city, Met official said with the southwest monsoon remaining active, rain and thundershowers were expected to continue for a couple of days.
Surender Paul, Director, India Meteorological Department, said, “As per our records, the city has experienced 773.1 mm rainfall this monsoon, which is 24.9 per cent more than the normal rainfall (691.9 mm) till today.”
The day temperature in the city was 32°C, while the minimum was 26.5°C.
The market areas in Sectors 7, 18, 20, 30 and 29 were in a mess as people had to wade through knee-deep water in several areas. Office-goers had a harrowing time as they were caught unawares when it suddenly started pouring heavily this morning.
Meanwhile, weather officials have predicted more rainfall and thundershowers over the next 48 hours.
Met officials said southern sectors and Mohali had the heaviest rainfall this morning. Traffic jams were witnessed in southern sectors, especially near Attawa Chowk and Sector 41 roundabout. The road leading to the ISBT-43 was under knee-deep water.
After the downpour, thoroughfares and roads were choc-a-bloc with stranded vehicles as rainwater inundated several low-lying areas. Massive traffic snarls were witnessed due to waterlogging in several parts of the city.
However, rail and air services remained unaffected.
According to weathermen, the sky will remain overcast and there will be one or two spells of rain in the city and adjoining areas of Punjab and Haryana over the next 24 hours. The maximum and minimum temperature is likely to be around 32°C and 24°C, respectively, tomorrow.