Chandigarh, June 25 -- The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday officially declared the onset of monsoon in Chandigarh, making it the earliest monsoon arrival in the city since 2021. Though the announcement is usually made after two days of downpour, it has been made with just trace rain this time as there is a prediction of heavy rain over the next four to five days. On Tuesday, the airport observatory recorded 14 mm rain while the Sector 39 observatory logged trace rain (below 0.1 mm). As per the IMD, the prevailing wind systems in the region and rise in humidity levels are also taken into account while declaring monsoon. IMD Chandigarh director Surender Paul said that even though it didn't rain much in the city, one has to look at the region as a whole. On Tuesday, 71.6 mm rain was recorded in Ludhiana and 44 mm rain in Karnal. Other places in Haryana and Punjab also reported rain, which is why the IMD has declared monsoon over the region. Interestingly, monsoon has still not been declared in Delhi and this year, monsoon has reached Chandigarh before the Capital. Paul added, "No Western Disturbance is active in the region. The rain over the past 24 hours is due to Easterly winds, which points to the monsoon system. Even humidity rose from 62% to 81% on Tuesday." Paul said monsoon arrival was irregular this year because it has advanced more from the Eastern side than the Southern side. He said the system had been stalled for over two weeks but was still able to reach the city before the normal date. "This time the normal date was June 26 and despite being held up for two weeks, a system formed over the Arabian Sea which helped it progress significantly over the past few days." In 2021, monsoon was declared on June 13 itself. Interestingly, that year, after the declaration of monsoon, no rain was recorded throughout the month and rains started only in July. Since 2015, this is the second fastest onset of monsoon tied with 2020 when it was declared on June 24. Explaining the significance of an early onset, Paul said, "Naturally, with more days, we can expect more rain during the monsoon this year. Although other factors are also involved, an early onset of monsoon usually points to good spells of rain till the end of the monsoon which is in September." As per Paul, chances of rain are the highest on Thursday and Friday. A fresh Western Disturbance is also likely to affect the region from June 28 which can lead to more rain. The maximum temperature of the city dropped from 35.6degC on Monday to 34.1degC on Tuesday, 3.4 degrees below normal. The minimum dropped from 28.4degC on Monday to 27.4degC on Tuesday, which is normal. Over the next three days, the maximum temperature will remain between 30degC and 31degC while the minimum will remain between 26degC and 27degC....