Cyclone Biparjoy effect: Chandigarh to see light to moderate rain from June 17

While cyclone Biparjoy is set to make contact near Kutch in Gujarat, its remnants are likely to reach the city around June 17 and bring light to moderate rainfall, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Speaking about this, IMD Chandigarh director Manmohan Singh said that after making landfall in Gujarat, the cyclone will continue Northwards and will reach the region around June 17.

“The cyclone will lose its strength after hitting the land but cyclonic movement will continue Northwards and bring rain to Chandigarh as well. It will be classified as a Western Disturbance (WD) and is likely to affect the region along similar lines,” he said.

“Though there are two days to go before the cyclone’s remnants reach here, the effect on weather can already be seen,” said the IMD director, adding, “The cyclonic circulation had been feeding moisture from the Arabian Sea to the region which is why despite high temperature, humidity also went as high as 60%.”

Due to the cyclone, South Westerly winds are now active in the region. These will affect the Western Disturbance which is already affecting the region and is likely to intensify its effect. Chances of rain will continue till the end of the week as per Singh.

Too soon to say if it will further delay monsoon: Met

While monsoon in India is already running behind schedule and the cyclone has directly affected its progress after Kerala, Singh said it’s too early to say whether this cyclone will further delay monsoon in our region. “A cyclonic system over Arabian Sea impedes the monsoon system while a cyclonic system over Bay of Bengal strengthens it. However, it is too soon to draw conclusions. A system may form over the Bay of Bengal and within a few days, the monsoon system may strengthen and the delay can be shortened,” he said

As per IMD, the onset of monsoon in Chandigarh takes place around June 26. It is likely to be delayed till July this year and also likely to remain below normal as per a long-range forecast issued by the Met earlier.

Rain likely to continue in coming days

Meanwhile, rain is likely to continue in the coming days as Western Disturbance is still active in the region. On Wednesday, trace rain was recorded during the day.

The maximum temperature went down from 40.2°C on Tuesday to 37.9°C on Wednesday while the minimum went from 28.2°C to 22.8°C.

Over the next three days, the maximum temperature will remain between 36°C and 38°C while the minimum temperature will remain between 25°C and 26°C.