Mixed news on weather front

LUDHIANA: City residents will have to battle with the hot weather for another four weeks, as weather experts predict that the monsoon will arrive in the city at its normal date by the beginning of July. However, the good news for city residents is that the experts have also predicted that there are chances of pre-monsoon showers hitting the city around June 15.
Says Kulwinder Kaur Gill, assistant agro-meteorologist at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU): "As the monsoon is likely to hit Kerala around June 2, which is around the normal time of its arrival, it means it is likely to touch the city exactly a month after its date with Kerala - again, the normal arrival time here. The normal date of arrival can also be predicted from the fact that the maximum temperatures have been very high during these days. However, some pre-monsoon showers are likely to lash the city around June 15, which again is the normal time for the arrival of such showers."
The arrival of the monsoon in the state had got delayed by a week last year (July 6). During the monsoon last year - from July to September - the rainfall recorded in the city was 79.9mm, whereas the normal rainfall for the city is 321.5mm. However, this year, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted a normal monsoon, with rains during June to September expected to be 98 per cent of the long-term average. Says Gill: "The conditions before the monsoon suggest that the rains this year will be good."
Meanwhile, residents are anxiously awaiting the pre-monsoon showers to cool the weather, as they have been grappling with the sweltering heat for a long time now. Says Manjeet Singh, a businessman of Model Town: "It has been quite hot for the past 10-15 days, so we are hoping the monsoon arrives on time.