With the southwest monsoon expected to reach Punjab in the first week of July, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for Ludhiana, warning of thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds from July 1 to July 3.The district continued to witness warm and humid weather on Monday. (HT File)According to the weather forecast, isolated rainfall is likely across the district on Tuesday, June 30.From Wednesday, weather activity is expected to intensify, with light to moderate rainfall forecast at a few places.The IMD has also predicted thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds reaching speeds of 40-50 kmph during the three-day warning period.This is the second yellow alert issued for Ludhiana in less than a week. Earlier, on June 24, the IMD had warned of thunderstorms, lightning and isolated rainfall in the district. The alert was later extended for June 25 and 26, with the possibility of stronger weather conditions, including gusty winds of up to 50 kmph.Pavneet Kaur Kingra, Head of the Department of Climate Change and Agricultural Meteorology at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), said the monsoon is expected to arrive in Punjab during the first week of July. She added that there has been no major change in the forecast regarding the monsoon’s onset this year.The district continued to witness warm and humid weather on Monday.The minimum temperature settled at 29.2°C, 0.4 degrees lower than the previous day but three degrees above normal. The maximum temperature settled at 37.8°C, 1.8 degrees lower than Sunday’s reading but 1.9 degrees above normal.The highest wind speed recorded since June 28 was 44 kmph. According to IMD data, Ludhiana received 50.9 mm of rainfall between June 1 and June 29, which is considered normal for the period.