India, May 28 -- Heavy rain and thunderstorms swept across Delhi and parts of the NCR on Thursday, bringing much-needed relief from the intense heatwave conditions that had gripped the region over the past few days. Strong winds, lightning and showers led to a significant drop in temperatures, offering respite to residents struggling with soaring mercury levels.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had earlier issued weather alerts for Delhi, Noida, Gurugram and nearby regions, warning of severe thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and isolated hailstorms are very likely at many places across the region.

IMD scientist Akhil Srivastava told news agency ANI,"If we look at Northwest India, maximum temperatures have primarily been ru...