Ludhiana: 60 km/h winds, heavy showers lash city; IMD orange alert till May 5

District mandi officer Gurmatpal Singh said 7.36 lakh metric tonnes of wheat had been procured in Ludhiana district so far, accounting for over 90% of the expected arrivals; officials said the rainfall did not pose an immediate threat to procurement.

Ludhiana’s maximum temperature dropped by 4.6 degrees Celsius to 33.4 degrees Celsius on Sunday, while the minimum settled at 18 degrees Celsius, down 3.7 degrees from Saturday.

IMD forecast projected scattered to fairly widespread light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds of 30-50 kmph across Punjab from May 3 to May 6. Thundersquall conditions were expected on May 4 and 5, with wind speeds likely to reach 50-60 kmph and gusts up to 70 kmph; hailstorm activity could occur in isolated pockets.

The India Meteorological Department issued an orange alert for thunderstorms and gusty winds till May 5 (Tuesday), signaling severe weather risk across the region.

Gusty winds clocking 50-60 kmph and rain battered Ludhiana early on Sunday, with 24 mm rainfall recorded till 8.30 am. The storms uprooted trees, snapped branches, and disrupted traffic and power in several areas. Civic teams were deployed to clear debris, and horticulture officer Kirpal Singh said several complaints of branches breaking were received. Scaffolding around a private construction site near Wave Mall collapsed onto adjoining electricity poles, triggering a power outage in the area.