A brief spell of moderate to heavy rain on Friday evening provided relief from the hot and humid conditions in Chandigarh after the city recorded one of its warmest days of the week.Around 5.30 pm, dark clouds covered the city before rain accompanied by thunderstorm and gusty winds lashed several parts for less than half an hour. The skies cleared soon after, bringing down the temperature after a hot and humid afternoon.Earlier in the day, Chandigarh’s maximum temperature climbed sharply by 4.1 degrees Celsius to 37.7°C, which was 2.2 degrees above normal and the second highest maximum temperature in the Punjab-Haryana region, after Ambala’s 38.6°C.The minimum temperature also rose by 2.3 degrees to 26.8°C, though it remained 0.3 degree below normal, indicating that nights too have started becoming warmer again. Relative humidity fluctuated between 47 per cent and 78 per cent during the day.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had not recorded any rainfall at the Chandigarh observatory till 5.30 pm, though traces of rain were reported at the airport. The evening spell occurred after the observation period and brought localised relief across the city.The IMD has extended the yellow alert for Saturday and Jattvibeday, forecasting thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds with speeds of 40-50 kmph at isolated places.The weather office has also indicated a more active phase from Monday through Thursday, with the yellow alert continuing for thunderstorms, lightning, gusty winds and intermittent heavy rainfall over Chandigarh. The forecast suggests scattered to fairly widespread rain during this period, which is expected to keep daytime temperatures under check after Friday’s rise.A meteorologist said the fluctuations in temperature were typical of the early monsoon phase.“Day temperatures can rise quickly during breaks in rainfall because of solar heating. However, moisture availability remains high over the region. Thunderstorm activity is expected to continue over the next few days, with a more active spell likely from Monday, leading to more frequent rainfall and moderation in temperatures,” he said.