April 2026 signed off on Thursday as the wettest April that Chandigarh has recorded in 13 years, with the city logging 48.1 mm of rainfall against a monthly normal of just 13.4 mm, a departure of 259 per cent above normal that the IMD has classified as “large excess.”The figure is the highest April rainfall Chandigarh has received since 2020, when the city recorded 43.1 mm, and the highest departure percentage recorded in the last 13 years, surpassing even 2023’s 171 per cent and 2020’s 201 per cent above-normal departures.Scattered light rainfall continued on Thursday, bringing further relief from the heatwave that had tormented the Tricity for over a week. Residents woke up to a partly cloudy sky with sun and clouds playing hide and seek, a light breeze and thunderstorm at isolated places, departure from the searing, bone-dry conditions that had pushed Chandigarh’s mercury to 41°C just five days earlier.The orange alert for thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds of 50 to 60 kilometres per hour at isolated places remained in force for Thursday across Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana. Friday will be a dry day with no weather alert. But the yellow alert for thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds of 30 to 50 kmph with the possibility of scattered rainfall at isolated places returns from Saturday and continues through Wednesday, keeping the prospect of sustained relief alive well into the first week of May.The IMD forecasts a rise in maximum temperature of 2 to 3 degrees over the next three days, followed by a fall of 3 to 5 degrees thereafter.Thursday’s weatherThursday’s maximum temperature in Chandigarh edged up a marginal 0.3 degrees from Wednesday to touch 36.8°C, just 0.1 degree below normal, while the minimum held at a comfortable 20.5°C, 0.5 degrees cooler than Tuesday night and 1.9 degrees below normal. Relative humidity ranged between 69 per cent in the morning and 30 per cent by afternoon. Chandigarh’s seasonal rainfall since March 1 stands at 75 mm, 134.4 per cent above the seasonal normal. Mohali received 4 mm of rainfall during the day, providing welcome relief to the Tricity’s sister city as well.Punjab, Haryana: Temperatures near normalThursday saw light rain at isolated places in Punjab with gusty winds at some locations. Bathinda topped Punjab at 39.5°C, near normal, followed by Faridkot at 38 degrees, Ludhiana at 38.2 degrees and Patiala at 37.5 degrees. Chandigarh city recorded 36.8 degrees. Punjab’s average maximum was near normal, a far cry from the 4 to 5 degrees above normal departures of the peak heatwave days. The lowest minimum in Punjab was at Hoshiarpur at 18.3°C. Pathankot received 3.5 mm of rainfall and Thein Dam 2 mm during the period.In Haryana, Rohtak led the state at 40.8°C, 0.8 degrees above normal, while Hisar recorded 39.9 degrees. Most other stations stayed in the 34 to 39 degree range, with temperatures near normal across the state. Significant rainfall was reported in Karnal at 9 mm, Yamunanagar at 4.5 mm and Ambala at 3.8 mm. The lowest minimum in Haryana was 20.2°C in Sonepat.April 2026: A month of weather extremesThe IMD’s monthly weather report for Chandigarh paints a picture of a month defined by sharp contrasts. The city recorded its highest maximum temperature of the month at 41°C on April 25, though this fell short of the previous 10-year high of 42.2 degrees set in 2022. The average maximum for April 2026 was 35°C against the 10-year high average of 38.5 degrees in 2022. The lowest minimum of the month was 12.3°C recorded on April 9, equalling the previous 10-year record low set in 2021. The average minimum for the month was 18.2°C, the lowest since 2021’s 18.1 degrees. The single highest rainfall day of the month was 38.3 mm on April 8.The month’s rainfall total of 48.1 mm, against a normal of 13.4 mm, with 259 per cent departure places April 2026 firmly as the wettest April by departure percentage in Chandigarh’s records going back at least to 2013. It comfortably exceeds 2020’s previous high departure of 201 per cent.5-day Tricity forecast: Intermittent rain through next weekFriday will be mainly partly cloudy and dry with the maximum at 37°C and the minimum at 21°C, the only rain-free day in the coming stretch. Saturday brings thunderstorm, lightning and rain back under partly cloudy skies with the maximum at 38 degrees and the minimum at 20 degrees. Jattvibeday will be partly cloudy and dry with the maximum at 38 degrees and the minimum at 20 degrees. Monday and Tuesday return with thunderstorm, lightning and rain, the maximum easing to 36 and 35 degrees respectively and the minimum at 19 degrees on both days, extending the relief from heat well into next week.