Chandigarh- Rain accompanied by strong winds and dust storms swept across parts of Punjab and Haryana on Sunday, bringing much-needed relief from scorching temperatures but also causing disruptions and damage in several areas. Cities including Chandigarh, Mohali, Amritsar, Ludhiana, and parts of Haryana such as Panchkula, Ambala and Yamunanagar witnessed sudden weather changes early in the day.
In Chandigarh, residents woke up to dark clouds followed by gusty winds, dust storms and heavy rain, leading to temporary power outages in several localities. The city’s power utility reported that electricity supply was affected due to falling power lines caused by strong winds, though restoration efforts were underway. The weather cleared gradually by the afternoon.
The rain significantly brought down temperatures, which had been hovering between 38 and 40 degrees Celsius a day earlier, offering relief from the intense summer heat.
However, the sudden squall also led to damage in some areas. In Hoshiarpur, a local industrialist was injured after strong winds uprooted electricity poles and trees in the Industrial Focal Point area of Purhiran. The man, who was passing through the area on his scooter, was hit by falling poles and high-tension wires and was rushed to a nearby hospital. His scooter was badly damaged in the incident.
Police officials said a major tragedy was averted as the power supply had already been shut down at the time, preventing the fallen wires from being live. The incident also disrupted traffic movement temporarily in the area due to blocked roads.
Elsewhere, areas like Phagwara experienced heavy rain along with lightning and thunder, while strong winds forced vehicles to use headlights during the day due to reduced visibility.
Overall, while the rainfall brought relief from the heatwave-like conditions, it also highlighted the vulnerability of infrastructure to sudden weather changes, with authorities continuing restoration and monitoring efforts.
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