Ludhiana: The period of mild, sunny weather currently enjoyed by Ludhiana residents is set to end abruptly, with meteorological officials issuing back-to-back weather alerts for the region starting Thursday.While Wednesday saw temperatures climb more than four degrees above the seasonal average, a shifting weather pattern is expected to bring thunderstorms, lightning, and a risk of damaging hailstorms to Punjab’s industrial hub by the weekend.
Escalating weather alertsThe India Meteorological Department (IMD) has categorised the coming days with specific color-coded warnings to prompt public and administrative readiness.
Thursday’s yellow alert meanbs “be updated”. Forecasters predict thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and strong surface winds across isolated parts of the district. Friday’s orange alert means “be prepared”. The risk intensifies with a high probability of thunderstorms and hailstorms across many areas, potentially impacting local infrastructure and agriculture.While no formal alerts are currently in place for Saturday and Sunday, the department continues to predict lingering thunderstorms and strong winds through the end of the week. The impending rain is expected to trigger a significant cooling trend. After a warm Wednesday where the mercury hit 22.6°C, day temperatures are forecast to plunge to 16°C by Saturday.Night temperatures will remain volatile, hovering between 5°C and 6°C through the weekend before a projected recovery to 8°C by next Tuesday. The weather office predicts lightning and strong winds at a few places on Thursday, and then hailstorms along with lightning at many places on Friday.Visibility and current conditionsDespite the sunny intervals on Wednesday, the city faced a murky start with morning fog reducing visibility to just 200 m. Conditions improved to 5,000 m by midday before haze settled back into the city in the evening, dropping visibility once more to 3,000 m. Residents noted the unseasonable warmth prior to the forecast shift. “The weather was so good during the day that I didn’t even need a jacket,” said local resident Sandeep Singh.
However, he noted that the sharp drop in night temperatures still requires “adequate layers” to ward off the winter chill.
