Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh are expected to have a nearly week long spell of rain and thundershower. Intensity, spread and duration of showers will vary and the northern parts of both the states and Chandigarh are more susceptible to heavy showers on 20th and 21st July. Foothills of Punjab and Haryana are likely to have few spots of very heavy thunderstorm on 21st July. Spread of these rains will increase between 22nd and 26th July, but the intensity will drop to light and moderate at few places.
Monsoon trough was positioned well south of its normal position, thereby reducing the weather activity to minimal between 16th and 18th July. Scattered moderate showers have lashed some parts of the state yesterday. Anandpur Sahib, Ludhiana and Ambala received decent rainfall of 48mm, 42mm and 21mm respectively. Pathankot, Jalandhar, Bhiwani and Chandigarh also witnessed intermittent light fleeting showers. The monsoon trough has since shifted north to its normal position and runs through Ganganagar, Hisar and Delhi on the western side. This feature will hold position on 20th and 21st July and shift southward again in the lower levels of the atmosphere. North-South oscillation of this trough will keep the monsoon showers steady, over the entire region.
A western disturbance is also moving across Jammu & Kashmir and North Pakistan. Under the combined influence of western disturbance and monsoon trough, the foothills are more susceptible to heavy rains. Pathankot, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Ropar, Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula, Ambala, Karnal, Panipat and Yamunanagar have the risk of having localized flooding rains, particularly on 21st July. The rain intensity as such will reduce between 22nd and 24th July and pick up again afterwards.
