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.Sudden rain and thunderstorm that hit the city on the evening brought the temperature down, in Ludhiana. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)The rainfall led to a sharp fall in temperatures across the district. The maximum temperature on Thursday settled at 35.2°C, a significant drop of 8.4°C from the previous day and 3.1°C below the seasonal average. The minimum temperature was recorded at 21.4°C, which was 7°C lower than Wednesday and 4.2°C below normal.According to IMD data, Ludhiana has received a total of 22.2 mm rainfall between June 5 and June 11. The change in weather also brought relief across Punjab, where the average maximum temperature witnessed a decline of 3.8°C compared to Wednesday.The district remained under an orange alert on Thursday, with forecasts of thunderstorms, lightning, hail and squall-like winds reaching speeds of 60 to 70 kmph. Rainfall was recorded at several places across the district.The IMD has continued the orange alert for Friday, warning of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and strong winds. Rainfall is expected at isolated locations across Ludhiana district.While no weather warning has been issued for June 13 and 14, the department has predicted light rainfall at isolated places on June 13. Weather conditions are expected to gradually stabilise over the weekend, although cloudy skies and occasional showers may persist in some areas.The recent rainfall has provided temporary relief from the heatwave-like conditions that had gripped the region earlier this week. Residents have welcomed the cooler weather, though authorities continue to monitor the situation closely in view of the possibility of strong winds and thunderstorms over the next 24 hours.