The Chandigarh Tricity is set for another weather swing, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting thunderstorm, lightning and strong gusty winds from Wednesday to Saturday, along with isolated to scattered showers at places through the week. A yellow alert has been sounded from Wednesday to Friday for thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds of 40-50 kmph, followed by winds of 30-40 kmph on Saturday.Despite the approaching change, temperatures remained high across the Tricity on Tuesday.Chandigarh recorded a maximum of 34.8°C, 2.2°C above normal, and a minimum of 24.6°C, 3.7°C above normal. The maximum rose marginally by 0.1°C from the previous day, while the minimum rose 1.6°C.Panchkula coolest in regionPanchkula remained the coolest among the Tricity and recorded the lowest maximum temperature among the Haryana and Punjab stations listed by the IMD after two lower readings. Its maximum of 32.7°C was below Chandigarh’s 34.8°C and Mohali’s 34.7°C, while its minimum stood at 23.1°C.The Panchkula maximum was also among the lowest recorded in the wider Punjab-Haryana region, with only 32.4°C at Sonepat and 32.5°C at Karnal lower among the listed stations.Mohali recorded a maximum of 34.7°C and minimum of 24.7°C, with the night temperature 1.4°C above previous night.The contrast was sharper across the region: Haryana’s highest maximum was 38.1°C at Hisar, while Punjab’s highest was 36°C at Bathinda. Haryana’s average maximum temperature was 1.7°C above normal, while its average minimum was 2.5°C above normal.Humidity stays highHumidity remained high in Chandigarh, with the weather observatory recording maximum relative humidity of 85 per cent and minimum relative humidity of 53 per cent. The city received no rain in the 24 hours ending 8.30 am, and rainfall remained nil during the day.Showers likely through the weekThe IMD forecast indicates isolated rainfall over Chandigarh, Haryana and Punjab on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, followed by scattered rainfall on Saturday and isolated rainfall again on Jattvibeday and Monday.For the Tricity, the maximum temperature is forecast at 32°C on Wednesday, 33°C on Thursday, 32°C on Friday, 31°C on Saturday and 32°C on Jattvibeday. Minimum temperatures are expected to remain at 24°C on Wednesday, 23°C on Thursday and Friday, and 22°C on Saturday and Jattvibeday.The weather change follows the recent dry spell after the southwest monsoon ended with Chandigarh recording a 15 per cent seasonal rainfall deficit. September had ended with near-normal rainfall, at 132.2 mm against the normal 131.4 mm, but temperatures remained elevated, with the month’s average maximum at 34.2°C. The latest readings show the warm conditions persisting into October even as thunderstorm activity begins to return.