Amritsar/Bathinda, May 31 -- A sudden change in weather onSaturday morning brought relief to Punjab and Haryana, breaking a heatwave that had been sweeping the states. Dust storms and high-velocity winds followed by rain lashed both the Majha and south Malwa regions in Punjab, causing temperatures to plummet. In Punjab's Majha, the districts of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, and Pathankot recorded significant rainfall. Gusty winds began early in the morning in Amritsar, followed by a brief mild shower, before steady medium-to-heavy rain set in around 8.30am and lasted for several hours. Pathankot experienced high-velocity winds that culminated in a hailstorm. This active weather pulled average temperatures in Punjab down from above 40degC on Friday to below 35degC on Saturday, marking a sharp drop of 8 to 10 degrees Celsius. According to Baljinder Singh, district training officer of the agriculture department in Tarn Taran, the timely rainfall benefits local maize and paddy crops, both of which currently require high volumes of water. Simultaneously, the semi-arid south Malwa experienced a sharp shift from the intense heat that had kept daytime temperatures hovering around a scorching 46degC. Bathinda witnessed a heavy dust storm followed by light showers, while parts of Moga, Fazilka, and Faridkot also recorded scattered showers and gusty winds. In Haryana, rain was witnessed in Narnaul (1.5 mm), Sirsa (7 mm), Gurugram (5 mm), Rohtak (4 mm), Sonepat (12 mm) and Karnal (12.5 mm). In Haryana, Ambala's maximum temperature was 30.8degC, which is 8 degrees below normal. Hisar, Karnal, Narnaul, Rohtak and Sirsa recorded their respective maximum temperatures of 36.9, 34, 33.5, 33.5 and 34degC, according to a meteorological department report....