Delhi weather: Residents of Delhi woke up to a pleasant Thursday as a shift in conditions provided much-needed relief from the scorching heat that has been sweeping the region.IMD issues orange alert in Delhi (PTI Photo)The national capital is expected to witness partly cloudy sky today, according to the India Meteorological Department, which will become generally cloudy towards the afternoon. The weather department also issued an orange alert for the city.A spell of light rain accompanied by thunderstorm and lightning, with strong surface wind speed reaching up to 50-70 kmph is also likely in the afternoon in the state, IMD said.Also Read: Delhi battered by overnight dust storm; orange alert issued for ThursdayAnother spell of rain, coupled with lightning, thunderstorms and dust storms is expected towards evening and night, the met department said.The maximum and minimum temperatures over Delhi are likely to be in the range of 39°C to 41°C and 30°C, respectively, according to the IMD bulletin for the day.“The minimum and maximum temperatures will remain near normal (-1.5°C to 1.5°C) at most places over Delhi," the IMD said, news agency ANI reported.Over the past 24 hours, the maximum and minimum temperatures over Delhi were in the range of 42-44°C and 28-31°C, respectively.The predominant surface wind is expected to blow from the southwest at speeds of up to 20 kmph during the morning. Wind speeds are likely to increase to around 25 kmph in the afternoon.Also Read: Monsoon progress slows down in Maha, still within normal timeline: IMDBy the evening and night, winds are expected to shift easterly and weaken to around 22 kmph, the IMD said.Heavy rainfall in KeralaIMD on Thursday predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in parts of Kerala and issued an Orange alert for the state. It also said that heavy rainfall is likely over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam & Meghalaya, Odisha and Sub Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim.The weather department issued an orange alert in Alappuzha and Kottayam for three hours in the morning and said there was a likelihood of heavy rainfall and strong winds in parts of these two districts, PTI reported.IMD a day ago had predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall (7-20cm) over Kerala, Karnataka & Tamil Nadu during the next 5-7 days.Orange alert for Himachal PradeshThunderstorms accompanied with hailstorms are expected over Himachal Pradesh on June 11 and 12, IMD said, and issued an orange alert for the state.The warning has been issued for Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla and Sirmaur districts, where wind speeds of 40-50 kmph are likely, the weather office said, PTI reported. A wet spell is also likely in the state till June 16.Sarahan received 30 mm of rain, followed by Palampur 9.4 mm, Rohru 8 mm, Manali 6 mm, Kotkhai 5.2 mm, Neri 2.5 mm, Shillaroo and Bharmaur 2 mm each, Sangla 1.2 mm, and Jot and Jogindernagar 1 mm each, according to PTI.IMD further forecasted heavy to very heavy rainfall over Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Bihar, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Coastal Karnataka, Gangetic West Bengal, Konkan & Goa, Lakshadweep, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura, South Interior Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal.Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand are also likely to witness rainfall accompanied with thunderstorms and hailstorms.Heavy rainfall in Tamil NaduHeavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds of 40–50 kmph is likely over the Western Ghats and several other parts of Tamil Nadu, according to a bulletin from the Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, as reported by PTI.The affected districts include Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari, Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Erode, Salem, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Tirupattur, Vellore, Ranipet, Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Theni, Dindigul, Cuddalore, and Mayiladuthurai.The bulletin further said that due to the rainfall activity, a gradual drop in maximum temperatures is expected between May 11 and May 14 across Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal.