Chandigarh’s weather continued to swing sharply between day and night on Wednesday, with the maximum temperature climbing to 35.9°C, four degrees above normal, while the minimum slipped to 23.2°C, 0.2°C below normal. The resulting 12.7°C day-night gap underlined the contrasting weather conditions as the Southwest monsoon withdrawal progressed.The Chandigarh weather observatory recorded the maximum temperature at 35.9°C, up 0.1°C from Tuesday and 4°C above normal. The minimum was 23.2°C, up marginally by 0.2°C but still 0.2°C below normal. No rainfall was recorded.Day gets hotter, nights coolerThe sharp rise in daytime temperature was also reflected across the region. Punjab’s highest maximum was 37°C at Bathinda, while Haryana recorded 38.2°C at Gurugram. Haryana’s average maximum temperature was 1.7°C above normal, while Punjab’s average maximum remained near normal.Within the Tricity, Mohali recorded 35.7°C, while Panchkula was considerably cooler at 33.9°C. Mohali’s maximum was 0.5°C higher than the previous day.The nights, however, remained considerably cooler. Chandigarh’s minimum of 23.2°C was 0.2°C below normal, while the airport observatory recorded the same minimum, 1.4°C below previous night.Panchkula records haryana’s coolest nightPanchkula recorded the lowest minimum temperature in Haryana at 20.8°C, tying with Rewari, and was 1.1°C below previous night. It also remained the coolest in the Tricity both during the night and in daytime, with a maximum of 33.9°C.Mohali recorded a minimum of 24.1°C, making it the warmest night among the three Tricity stations listed in the bulletin.Humidity remains highRelative humidity remained high at Chandigarh, with the observatory recording a maximum of 79 per cent and minimum of 48 per cent. Despite the dry conditions, the relatively high maximum humidity added to the contrast between the hot afternoons and cooler nights.Rainfall deficit widens to 16.1%Chandigarh’s seasonal rainfall stood at 697.6 mm, with the deficit widening to 16.1 per cent below normal as of 8.30 am on Wednesday. No rain was recorded either during the preceding 24 hours or during the day, leaving the seasonal total unchanged at 697.6 mm by 5.30 pm.The worsening deficit comes after the IMD said on September 21 that conditions were favourable for further withdrawal of the Southwest monsoon from the remaining parts of Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh and Delhi during the following two to three days. The latest bulletin continues to show dry conditions over Chandigarh and Haryana, with no weather warning issued.Dry spell continuesThe next five days are expected to remain largely dry, with the Tricity forecast to record maximum temperatures of 35°C, 35°C, 35°C, 33°C and 34°C from September 24 to 28. Minimum temperatures are forecast at 25°C, 25°C, 23°C, 23°C and 23°C, respectively.The seven-day outlook keeps Punjab and Haryana-Chandigarh dry through September 26, with isolated activity forecast on September 27, dry conditions on September 28 and isolated activity again on September 29. No warning has been issued for the seven-day period.