Rain, thunderstorm bring respite

JALANDHAR/LUDHIANA: Rain and thunderstorm in parts of Punjab on Saturday brought a respite from the rising heat, with temperatures plunging drastically at some places.

The weather in Jalandhar and Kapurthala districts changed suddenly in the afternoon as clouds took over the sky and it became dark around 4 pm. A heavy rain and thunderstorm hit various parts of the Doaba region.

Jalandhar, which recorded 42 degrees Celsius temperature at 2 pm on Saturday, witnessed a sudden decline to 32 degrees after 4pm. Power supply was shut down as precautionary measure. Temperatures also dropped in Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr districts in the region.

Meteorological department officials predicted more rain for the next two days in the region.

In Ludhiana, thunderstorm brought relief from the hot spell of the past few days, with temperature nosediving by more than 15 degrees in half an hour. Around 3 mm of rainfall was recorded here, bringing down the temperature from 41.6 to 26.6 degrees. The day began hot and humid; strong wind and rain came in the evening. The city was brought to a standstill as dust storm blinded the commuters compelling them to switch on the lights of their vehicles. The visibility went down to a few metres as dust and black clouds blanketed the city.

In Amritsar and Patiala, temperatures fell after slight rain.