Storm Doors Open: North India Braces for a Week of Thunder, Lightning and Lashing Winds
A fresh weather system arriving from the west is set to shake up the skies over Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana, with meteorologists warning of dangerous gusts and electrical storms peaking on Monday before gradually easing by the weekend.
A new weather disturbance from the west moved over the region on Sunday, triggering a multi-day spell of unsettled conditions that the India Meteorological Department says will bring thunderstorms, lightning and powerful wind gusts of up to 60 kilometres per hour across Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh between May 10 and 14.
The sharpest conditions are expected on Monday, when an orange alert — the “Be Prepared” tier — will be active simultaneously across Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, with thunderstorms, lightning and gusts of 50 to 60 kmph forecast at isolated locations. Residents have been advised to stay indoors, secure livestock and avoid sheltering under trees or near open water.
Sunday’s alerts were split along state lines: Punjab faced the higher orange-level warning with gusts of 50 to 60 kmph, while Haryana and Chandigarh were placed under the lower yellow alert, signalling expected gusts in the 40 to 50 kmph range.
From Tuesday through Thursday, the threat level steps down to yellow for both states and Chandigarh, with light to moderate rain at scattered locations remaining possible through May 14. The end of the working week should bring relief: no weather warning is expected from Friday, May 15, and the following Saturday is also forecast to remain dry.
The Chandigarh tricity area faces a volatile mid-week. Monday and Tuesday will bring partly cloudy skies with storms, gusty winds and rain, with temperatures hovering around a maximum of 36°C, before Wednesday slightly dips the mercury to 35°C. Once the disturbance clears, Friday’s maximum is forecast to surge to 39°C — a sharp reminder of the summer heat waiting on the other side of the storm.
Despite the drama ahead, Sunday itself was deceptively quiet. The past 24 hours were dry across both states, with no rainfall recorded at any station. In Chandigarh, temperatures remained below normal — the maximum reached 35°C, three degrees under the seasonal norm, while cumulative rainfall since March 1 stands at 100.8 mm, a figure that is more than 161 per cent above the seasonal average, reflecting just how active this pre-monsoon season has been.
The heat, however, is already asserting itself in pockets. Faridabad in Haryana recorded an exceptional maximum of 45.2°C on Sunday, starkly illustrating the temperature contrast between the state’s hotter southern districts and its cooler northern belt. In Punjab, Faridkot was the hottest station at 42.8°C.
Meteorologists have urged the public not to take the electrical storm risk lightly. Safety guidance from IMD includes moving into solid, enclosed buildings when storms approach, keeping away from windows, electric poles and power lines, staying out of water bodies, and pulling over inside a closed vehicle rather than continuing to drive during lightning activity. Farmers have been specifically asked to halt all field operations during the peak alert period.
