Chandigarh, Jan. 24 -- Howling winds blew through the tricity on Friday, starting as early as 3 am,preventing residents fromhaving a peaceful night's sleep, and turning their day into a nightmare as the wind,accompanied by heavy rain, left behind a trail of destruction, uprooting trees and electricity lines, causing structural damages to buildings and leaving residents without electricity supply for hours on. As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), wind speeds had gone up to 60km/h on the day. The conditions were caused by an active Western Disturbance in the region, which will continue till around Saturday noon. While those out on roads were left to brave the rain and the slippery stretches, besides the constant threat of a tree, branch or pole collapses, those at home were left powerless due to the outages. Several parts of Chandigarh reported power cuts, lasting as long as 12 to 14 hours. Power had not been restored even till late evening at some places. The blackout also affected water supply in some areas. A spokesperson of the Chandigarh power distribution limited (CPDL) said the outage was a result of repeated tripping and faults reported on 11 kV, 33 kV, and 66 kV overhead feeders. During the day, 182 breakdowns and 34 transient faults were recorded, largely due to treecollapses and extreme weather conditions. As many as 37 poles were also uprooted. The official added that efforts are on at war footing to restore the power supply. In Mohali, Phases 1, 2, 3 and 7, were the worst hit. In Kharar, an official said more than 1,200 complaints related to the outage were received from residents till 6.30 pm. A spokesperson of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) said that an under-construction transmission tower collapsed on the Banur-Bhabat 66 KV line, leading to a major disruption in the Zirakpur area. Reports indicate that more than 600 electricity poles were damaged across the state, along with damage to several distribution transformers. The spokesperson said PSPCL teams are on job to restore the supply. HS Oberoi, deputy chief engineer of Mohali city, said that restoration work was taken up on a war footing soon after weather conditions improved. "By around 6 pm, electricity supply in most parts of the city was restored. However, our teams are working round-the-clock to repair damaged poles and restore power connections to individual houses where local faults persist," he said. In Sector 32, a tree fell on a moving scooter, leaving the rider injured and the vehicle badly damaged. Area councillor Prem Lata said the youth was wearing a helmet, which saved his life. In Sector 35-B, a tree crashed onto a house, narrowly missing a woman who was working inside at the time. In Mohali, a cow died of electrocution in Badmajra village after coming in contact with an open electric meter. This was the second rain spell of the year, but much stronger due to the effect of the strongest Western Disturbance of this season. IMD Chandigarh director Surender Paul said record breaking high temperatures on Thursday further strengthened the storm. As per IMD, 13.2 mm rain was recorded in the morning till 8.30 am while 25.1 mm rain was recorded later in the day till 5:30 pm. The total 38.3 mm rain on Friday is the highest since January 2022 when 45.9 mm rain was recorded on January 23. The winds and rain brought the maximum temperature down by 13 notches from 26.3degC on Thursday to 13.5degC on Friday....