Lucknow: As dry hot winds continued to lash Uttar Pradesh mercilessly and skies remained clear with blazing sun pouring fire, mercury during the day remained above 40 degrees Celsius in most districts on Wednesday, five of them among top 10 hottest places in the country.Bundelkhand and eastern parts of the state were hotter than then the west and Terai belt bordering Nepal and Uttarakhand.Banda retained its hottest place tag in UP for the second consecutive day with maximum temperature 43.8 degrees Celsius, 2.6 units above normal, said Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).Banda was also third hottest in the country after Jharsuguda (44.6 degrees Celsius) in Odisha and Wardha (44.2 degrees Celsius) in Maharashtra.Prayagraj sizzled at 43.7 degrees Celsius maximum temperature, fourth highest in the country, sharing the spot with Shriganganagar in Rajasthan and Akola in Maharashtra. While Khajuraho in MP was fifth with 43.4 degrees Celsius, UP’s Sultanpur simmered at 43.3 degrees Celsius maximum temperature, sixth hottest in the country.Varanasi was at eighth place with maximum temperature 43.1 degrees Celsius and Agra was at 10th with 43 degrees Celsius.
Lucknow also continued to remain above the 40 degree Celesius mark, with the maximum temperature 41.1 degree Celsius, 2 units above normal. The minimum temperature was 24.5 degree Celsius, 2.3 notches above normal.On Thursday, Lucknow is likely to witness a clear sky, with maximum and minimum temperatures around 42 degrees and 25 degree Celsius, respectively.Weather department said conditions are likely to remain dry and hot across the state till the weekend.
Maximum and minimum temperatures may rise by 2-3 degrees at some places in the next four days. Dry hot winds, `loo’, will also lash most parts of the state during this period.“Strong hot westerly winds from Rajasthan supported by an anti-cyclonic circulation over Maharashtra that brings more heat are responsible for high temperatures in the state for past several days,” said Mohammad Danish, senior scientist at the IMD, Lucknow.“A western disturbance (WD), originating from Mediterranean Sea, is expected to reach Afghanistan by Saturday. It may bring some relief to the central and western parts of the state between Apr 26-28 in the form of cloudy sky. Light rainfall or drizzle can also take place in isolated places. The eastern UP will continue to face hot conditions,” he predicted.According to met officials, light rainfall, cloudy sky and moisture incursion would arrest further rise in temperatures or lead to drop in mercury levels by 2-3 degrees on Apr 27 and 28, but turn weather humid and sultry, raising discomfort levels.
