Hot weather conditions prevailed across most parts of Punjab and Haryana on Wednesday. Punjab’s holy city Amritsar recorded maximum temperature at 42 degree Celsius while ludhiana and Patiala recorded their maximums at 41.6 degrees Celsius and 41.2 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal level. The union territory Chandigarh recorded its high at 40.6 degrees Celsius, up by two degrees from normal. Bhiwani in Haryana settled at maximum temperature of 41.6 degrees Celsius. Among other places in the region, Ambala braved hot weather at 40.5 degrees Celsius, Hisar saw 40.2 degrees and Karnal 38.2 degrees Celsius.
The minimum temperature recorded in Chandigarh was 28.2 degrees Celsius, Hissar witnessed 29.5 degrees Celsius, Narnaul 29 degrees, ludhiana 30 degree Celsius, Patiala 29.6 degrees and Amritsar recorded 25.8 degrees Celsius. The local MeT Department has forecast light to moderate rain/thundershowers at isolated place during next 36 hours at few places in Punjab and Haryana. Duststorm/thunderstorm accompanied with squall may also occur at isolated places in both the States, predicted the MeT Department
Keeping in view the weather conditions, the experts at Hisar based Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University have advised the farmers to withhold the application of irrigation in cotton crop and sowing of pigeon pea for the next three days due to possibility of rain. A spokesperson of CCSHAU said that farmers are also advised to transplant rice nursery after June 15 as per recommended practices by the University. Due to weak monsoon, farmers are advised to transplant the Basmati rice due to less requirement of water. Farmers are also advised to withhold the irrigation in fruit and vegetable crops due to possibility of rain, added the spokesperson.