Monsoon likely to hit Tricity on June 24-25

Chandigarh: The southwest monsoon has finally made landfall over Kerala — three days behind schedule — but for the Tricity, the wait is unlikely to stretch any further. If current weather systems stay on course, the rains are still expected to arrive around their usual date of June 24-25.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the monsoon reached Kerala on Thursday, slightly delayed from its normal onset of June 1. However, meteorologists in Chandigarh say this lag at the starting point is not significant enough to disrupt its northward march.“We don’t expect the delay to impact Chandigarh. If the present pattern holds, the monsoon should reach around June 24-25,” said Surender Paul, director of the local meteorological centre. He added that pre-monsoon showers could make their presence felt around June 20, offering some early relief.That said, the broader outlook is less promising. The IMD’s long-range forecast points to below-normal rainfall across the country, with the Tricity likely to receive normal to below-normal rain during the June–September season — a signal of a potentially patchy monsoon.In the immediate term, the skies are expected to play familiar tricks. With forecasts of thunderstorms and light rain in the past three days, Chandigarh saw rain on Thursday night. Surrounding areas in Punjab and Haryana also received showers.For the next couple of days, residents can expect partly cloudy skies, before clearer conditions return. And with that, the heat is set to tighten its grip once again.“After a brief pause, temperatures will start rising again and hot conditions will intensify,” Paul said.A short spell of rain in recent days had brought some respite, with temperatures dipping slightly. The maximum on Thursday settled at 38.9°C, close to normal, while the minimum was a relatively comfortable 25°C, a degree below normal.But the relief could be fleeting. The mercury is expected to climb steadily, touching 40°C by June 8 and 41°C by June 9, signalling a renewed heatwave-like spell just days before the city looks skyward for the season’s first monsoon showers.