The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has upgraded the weather alert from yellow to orange for Wednesday and Thursday across Chandigarh, Punjab, and Haryana — reinstating the threat of thunderstorm, lightning, and gusty winds of 50-60 kmph at isolated places.The Met also withdrew the yellow alert for Punjab on Tuesday, where no formal warning now applies. However, it remains in place for Chandigarh and Haryana on Tuesday.The orange alert steps down to yellow again on Friday before clearing entirely for the weekend.Meanwhile, Chandigarh registered its second consecutive sharp maximum temperature rise on Monday — the highest single-day jump among all Punjab reporting stations and joint second highest in Haryana after Sonepat — as the city continued its gradual thermal recovery from last Saturday’s violent storm that had sent the mercury plunging to an extraordinary 25.3°C.Light to moderate rainfall occurred at isolated places in Haryana and light rainfall at isolated places in Punjab in the past 24 hours, with gusty winds at isolated places in both states. The heavy storm activity of Saturday has clearly wound down, and Monday was dry in the Tricity.Chandigarh sizzles as mercury jumps 4°C to 36°C on MondayMonday’s maximum temperature in Chandigarh jumped 4°C from Jattvibeday’s 32°C to 36°C — still 3.2°C below normal for June 1. This follows Jattvibeday’s even steeper 6.7°C bounce from Saturday’s storm-devastated 25.3°C to 32°C.Two back-to-back days of the sharpest temperature rebounds in the region confirm the pre-monsoon storm system is withdrawing and the atmosphere is drying out — though the mercury remains well below the punishing 40°C-plus of the preceding severe heatwave.Chandigarh’s 4°C single-day rise was the highest among all Punjab reporting stations on Monday. In Haryana, only Sonepat surpassed it with a 4.8°C jump; Chandigarh and Rohtak shared the second spot in the state at 4°C each.The minimum temperature also continued its upward recovery, rising 2.4°C from Jattvibeday’s 20.4°C to 22.8°C — still 3.5°C below normal for the date. Maximum relative humidity was 83 per cent, easing from Jattvibeday’s soggy 91 per cent, and minimum was 36 per cent. No rainfall was recorded at Chandigarh’s observatory through Monday.Max temp stays below normal in Punjab, HaryanaAcross Punjab, average maximum temperature rose 2.9°C and was 4.2°C below normal, with Bathinda recording the state’s highest at 40.2°C. Average minimum rose 2.8°C and was near normal, with Bhakra Dam logging the lowest overnight temperature at 21.8°C.In Haryana, average maximum rose 1.6°C and was 4.4°C below normal, with Sirsa topping the state at 40°C. Average minimum rose 1.8°C but remained 3°C below normal, with Bhiwani recording the lowest at 20°C.Next 5-day weather forecastTuesday: No warning for Punjab. Yellow alert — thunderstorm with lightning and gusty winds of 40-50 kmph at isolated places — continues for Chandigarh and Haryana.Wednesday and Thursday: Orange alert — thunderstorm with lightning and gusty winds of 50-60 kmph at isolated places — in force for Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana. Rainfall will be scattered, at few places.Friday: Alert steps back to yellow — thunderstorm with lightning and gusty winds of 40-50 kmph at isolated places — for Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana, with rainfall at isolated places.Saturday and Jattvibeday: No warning for either state or Chandigarh.Scattered to isolated showers all weekIn terms of actual rain coverage, isolated showers are forecast on Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, and Jattvibeday for Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana. Wednesday and Thursday will see scattered rainfall — covering 26-50 per cent of stations — making them the most active days of the coming week. This is a clear step down from last week’s fairly widespread and widespread rain; the storm activity is becoming more sporadic and geographically limited as June settles in.Next 5-day for TricityTuesday: partly cloudy with thunderstorm and rain possible, max 37°C, min 25°C. Wednesday: partly cloudy with thunderstorm and rain, max 38°C, min 23°C. Thursday: partly cloudy with thunderstorm and rain, max 37°C, min 25°C. Friday: partly cloudy, max 35°C, min 24°C — the coolest day of the coming week. Saturday: partly cloudy with thunderstorm and rain possible, max 37°C, min 25°C.Chandigarh enters monsoon seasonMonday marked Day 1 of the southwest monsoon season (June to September) — the four-month window that determines the region’s water security, agricultural yields, reservoir levels, and the health of Sukhna Lake. No rainfall was recorded at Chandigarh’s observatory on the season’s opening day.The pre-monsoon spell that delivered extremes — from 44.4°C on May 21 to 25.3°C on May 30, with May’s total rainfall of 50.1mm running at 120 per cent above the normal 22.8mm — is now behind the city.The spotlight turns to what the June-September season will actually deliver.IMD’s long-range forecast, issued this week, carries a cautionary message: seasonal monsoon rainfall for Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh is forecast to be normal to below normal, with Northwest India overall likely to receive less than 92 per cent of the Long Period Average. June itself is expected to bring below normal rainfall nationally, along with above normal temperatures. The elaborate pre-monsoon fireworks of May should not be mistaken for a guarantee of a generous monsoon to follow.Maximum temperature was 36°C (3.2°C below normal) and minimum was 22.8°C (3.5°C below normal). Maximum relative humidity was 83 per cent and minimum was 36 per cent. No rainfall was recorded in the past 24 hours. Jattvibeset on Tuesday is at 7:20 pm and sunrise on Wednesday will be at 5:22 am.