After being drenched by the region’s highest 46 mm rainfall overnight, Chandigarh woke up to a partly cloudy sky, light breeze and brief sunshine on Wednesday morning, even as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) maintained an orange alert for fresh thunderstorm activity.The city witnessed intense weather late in the night as ongoing light to moderate rain turned heavy around midnight, accompanied by thunderstorm and lightning for a couple of hours. Mohali recorded the region’s second highest rainfall at 35.5 mm during the spell, indicating widespread impact across the Tricity.The overnight downpour led to a sharp drop in night temperatures. Chandigarh’s minimum temperature plunged by 5.4 degrees to settle at 13.4°C, which was 5.3 degrees below normal, bringing a noticeable chill to the night. Across Punjab, Bathinda recorded the lowest minimum temperature at 12.2°C, while in Haryana, Mahendragarh remained the coolest at 14.1°C.Day temperatures, however, are expected to remain subdued under cloud cover. The sudden shift in weather has been attributed to an active western disturbance influencing the region.According to IMD’s latest nowcast, moderate thunderstorm accompanied by lightning and gusty winds of 40–60 kmph is very likely over parts of Punjab, including Mohali, Patiala, Sangrur, Rajpura and adjoining areas, while light thunderstorm activity with winds of 30–40 kmph is expected across a wider belt, including Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar.In Haryana, moderate thunderstorm with similar wind speeds is likely over parts of Ambala, Kaithal and adjoining districts, while light thunderstorm activity is expected across several regions, including Hisar, Karnal, Rohtak, Gurugram and Panchkula.The IMD has reiterated its orange alert for the day, warning of thunderstorm, lightning, gusty winds and hailstorm at isolated places across Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana. Rainfall activity, which remained widespread on Tuesday and intensified overnight, is expected to continue in scattered pockets through the day.The unseasonal heavy rain and strong winds have once again deepened concerns among farmers across Punjab and Haryana. A large portion of the wheat crop, either standing in fields or lying harvested in mandis, has suffered damage due to the ongoing spell. Experts warn that strong winds can flatten crops, while excess moisture may lead to grain discolouration and quality deterioration beyond permissible procurement norms.With losses mounting after repeated weather disturbances over the past week, farmers are bracing for further damage as the adverse weather threat continues.