Thunderstorms, squalls likely till June 14 in Haryana

Gurgaon: India Meteorological Department (IMD) has placed the city under an orange alert for June 11 and 12, warning of thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds, with gusts likely to reach 60-80 kmph. The city will remain under a yellow alert on June 13 and 14 as pre-monsoon activity continues across Haryana.The forecast comes a day after a dust storm swept through parts of south Haryana, including Gurgaon, uprooting trees, disrupting traffic and bringing temporary relief from the heat.According to IMD data, the city recorded a maximum temperature of 41.4 degrees Celsius at the Gurgaon KVK observatory on Tuesday. The minimum temperature was 21 degrees Celsius at the Sohna Road station, 5.7 degrees below normal and three degrees lower than the previous day.The district-wise weather warning issued by Meteorological Centre, Chandigarh, indicates that thunderstorm activity is likely to intensify across Haryana on June 11 and 12, when most districts have been placed under orange and yellow alerts. Several districts are expected to continue witnessing thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds on June 13 before conditions gradually improve from June 14.IMD has warned that wind speeds may reach 60-70 kmph during thunderstorm activity, with isolated locations experiencing stronger gusts of up to 80 kmph.Weather officials said the ongoing spell is linked to heightened pre-monsoon activity over northwest India. The interaction of moist winds and favourable upper-air systems is expected to trigger repeated episodes of thunderstorms, lightning and strong surface winds across the state over the next five days.While the storm activity is expected to provide intermittent relief from high temperatures, IMD said heatwave conditions may persist in some areas, particularly in western Haryana.IMD data released on Tuesday showed that Haryana’s average minimum temperature rose by 0.4 degrees Celsius compared with the previous day and remained near normal. Rainfall was reported from several districts during the past 24 hours. Mahendragarh recorded the highest rainfall at 19 mm, followed by 8 mm in Bhiwani (AWS) and 7.5 mm at Pandu Pindara in Jind. Light rainfall was also reported from Rohtak, Karnal, Sonipat, Nuh and other districts.Authorities have advised residents to remain indoors during thunderstorms, avoid taking shelter under trees and stay away from electric poles and open fields during lightning activity. Farmers have also been asked to monitor weather advisories before carrying out agricultural operations.