Farmers advised to resume crop harvesting after untimely showers cover up rain deficiency in Punjab, Haryana

Vijay Mohan

Chandigarh, March 25

With weather expected to clear up following several days of rain and no significant change in maximum temperatures being forecast over the next five days, the weather department has advised farmers to resume harvesting of matured crops in Punjab and Haryana.

Day temperatures fell by up to six degrees Celsius below normal in Haryana and close to five degrees Celsius in Punjab as northwest India experienced widespread rain over the past 24 hours. Earlier in the week, the region had also received rain.

In Haryana, the highest departure from normal was minus 6.2 degrees at Rohtak. Day temperatures were in the range of 23.7 degrees Celsius at Karnal to 30.6 degree Celsius at Balasmand near Hisar.

The minimum temperatures recorded in the state were between 15.3 degrees Celsius at Mahendragarh and 17.4 degrees Celsius at both Kurukshetra and Karnal, according to data compiled by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

In Punjab, the maximum temperatures ranged from 21.9 degrees Celsius at Gurdaspur to 27.7 degrees Celsius at Patiala, while the minimum temperatures were in the range of 13.3 degrees Celsius at Ferozepur to 18.6 degrees Celsius at Patiala.

Light to moderate rain and thundershowers occurred at most places in both the agrarian states, with reports of heavy rain and hailstorm at a few isolated places, according to IMD.

With 60mm rain, Gurugram was the wettest in Haryana during the past 24 hours, followed by Faridabad with 25 mm. In Punjab the highest rainfall recorded during this period was 53.5 mm at Jalandhar, followed by 49 mm at Ferozepur.

A western disturbance seen as a cyclonic circulation over Pakistan and neighbourhood in lower and middle tropospheric levels and a cyclonic circulation over north-east Rajasthan and adjoining Haryana in lower tropospheric levels has been cited as the reason for the rains.

Though the present spell of wet weather has affected standing crops and harvesting schedule in many areas, it has also helped overcome the rain deficiency that these states had been experiencing so far.

From March 1 till the morning of March 25, rain has been surplus by 152 per cent in Punjab and 142 per cent in Haryana. During this period, Punjab received 51.2 mm rain compared to the normal of 20.3 mm, while Haryana received 32.5 mm against the normal of 13.4 mm, according to the IMD data.