Ludhiana, June 12 -- A spell of rain brought much-needed relief from the intense heat in Ludhiana on Thursday, with the district recording 16 mm rainfall over the past 24 hours. However, the India meteorological department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds for Friday.

The rainfall led to a sharp fall in temperatures across the district. The maximum temperature on Thursday settled at 35.2degC, a significant drop of 8.4degC from the previous day and 3.1degC below the seasonal average. The minimum temperature was recorded at 21.4degC, which was 7degC lower than Wednesday and 4.2degC below normal.

According to IMD data, Ludhiana has received a total of 22.2 mm rainfall between June 5 and June 11. ...