The sweltering heat in Punjab is beginning to feel unbearable, with towns across the state recording some of the highest temperatures seen in recent years. This week, the heatwave has forced many indoors, brought down footfall in markets, and disrupted daily life as the sun continues to blaze with no sign of letting up.
By Sunday afternoon the thermometer was practically spluttering. Samrala topped the scale at an eyebrow-raising 46.1, Bathinda chirped in with 45.6, and a string of other towns-including Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, and Patiala-ended up flirting with the same terrifying figure.
The furnace isn't confined to Punjab alone. Just across the border, Sirsa baked at 46.4, while Chandigarh, that federal city a few miles north, logged its hottest outing of the season at 43.8.
Meteorologists keep circling one missing piece: the western disturbances. These chilly, moisture-packed systems usually crisscross North India every spring and drop a cooling breeze, maybe even a shower or two. Right now, though, thats a blank spot on the weather map-dry, searing winds from Rajasthan and further up the Indus Basin are sliding in instead and leaving Punjab's farmers, commuters, and schoolkids reaching for whatever shade they can find.
IMD forecast
The report says that there cannot be any break expected except before June 13. Fair-weather clouds might drift into Himachal around the same date; if the sky cooperates, Punjab and Haryana could pick up a stray shower or lightning burst on the 14th or 15th.
The plain, everyday advice stays unchanged. Keep drinking water, keep the salt handy, and stay out of the sun when it feels most like a furnace.