Ludhiana, March 17 -- A day after rainfall lashed the city, Ludhiana recorded a sharp drop in the minimum temperature on Monday, bringing relief from the unusually warm conditions witnessed earlier this month. The mercury fell by 5.3degC, with the minimum temperature settling at 11.5degC, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

According to the IMD, Ludhiana remained under a yellow alert on Monday. While no rainfall is expected on Tuesday and Wednesday, the weather department has issued another yellow alert for March 19 and March 20, predicting thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds reaching speeds of 30-40 kmph.

Surender Paul, director of the IMD's Chandigarh Centre, said the temperature is likely to remain almost the...