Thunderstorms, rain and strong winds swept across Delhi-NCR on Saturday, bringing temporary relief from the heat and lowering temperatures by up to 6.6°C below normal. (ANI Photo)Thunderstorms, dust-laden winds and short rain spells swept across Delhi-NCR on Saturday afternoon, bringing relief from the heat as day temperatures stayed several degrees below normal across the region.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued multiple alerts through the afternoon on Saturday for thunderstorms, squally winds and rains. Palam recorded the strongest gust among the Delhi stations at 70 kmph , followed by Pragati Maidan at 59 kmph and Pusa at 54 kmph. Safdarjung recorded a maximum wind speed of 38 kmph while Lodi Road and Mayur Vihar recorded 33 kmph.According to the IMD’s evening weather bulletin, very light to light rain, thunderstorm and lightning accompanied by gusty winds occurred at many places over Delhi during the day. South-easterly winds prevailed at 20-25 kmph, gusting to 59 kmph over the city.The storm activity also led to a dip in day temperatures. Safdarjung, Delhi’s base station, recorded a maximum of 37.2 degrees Celsius, which was 3.2 degrees Celsius below normal. Palam recorded 36.6 degrees Celsius, 4.4 degrees Celsius below normal, while Ayanagar was cooler at 35.5 degrees Celsius, 6.6 degrees Celsius below normal. Gurgaon recorded 33.6 degrees Celsius, 4.4 degrees Celsius below normal.Meanwhile, the air quality of the city improved to the satisfactory category on Saturday, with the Capital recording an air quality index (AQI) of 85 (satisfactory) at 4 pm on Saturday, as compared to an AQI of 123 (moderate) recorded at the same time on Friday, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).Rainfall remained scattered and uneven between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm across parts of the city. Rajghat recorded 20.5mm of rain, Ghaziabad 12.5mm, Mayur Vihar 4mm, Lodi Road 3.8mm, Safdarjung 0.9mm, Pusa 0.5mm and Ridge 0.4mm. Palam recorded trace rainfall during the same period.The IMD attributed the rainfall to a western disturbance seen as a cyclonic circulation over northwest Uttar Pradesh, along with an upper air cyclonic circulation over central Pakistan and troughs extending across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, south Odisha, Saurashtra, Kutch and the northeast Arabian Sea.Story continues below this adIMD officials said maximum temperatures had fallen by 2-8°C over Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and adjoining southwest Uttar Pradesh because of thunderstorm activity over northwest India.The relief, however, may be temporary as the IMD forecast said there would be no large change in maximum temperatures during the next 48 hours, followed by a gradual rise of 4-6 degrees Celsius over the subsequent five days. Minimum temperatures are also likely to remain largely unchanged for 24 hours before expected to rise by 4-6 degrees Celsius over the next four days.