A week of continuous rainfall brought much-needed respite from the humid heat in Uttar Pradesh. However, a sudden change in weather on Tuesday, marked by bright sunshine, pushed the maximum temperature up by 4 degrees Celsius. In Lucknow, sporadic showers with light winds continued till 4 pm, but failed to ease humidity levels. The city recorded a maximum temperature of 34.1 degrees Celsius.
According to the Meteorological Department, heavy rain is likely in more than 40 districts, including Lucknow, on Wednesday and Thursday, accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds in over 35 districts.
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Senior meteorologist Atul Kumar Singh said central and eastern UP will see intense rainfall, with alerts issued for Lucknow, Balrampur, Gonda, Ambedkarnagar, Sultanpur, Amethi, Shravasti, Ghazipur, Azamgarh, Mau, Ballia, Deoria, Gorakhpur, Sant Kabir Nagar, Basti, Kushinagar, Maharajganj, Siddharthnagar, Saharanpur, Bijnor and nearby areas.
The forecast indicates heavy rain in central and eastern UP from morning to afternoon on Thursday, followed by a shift in weather from Friday, when the monsoon is expected to weaken and rainfall to decline.
The first monsoon showers were recorded in the state on June 24. Since then, Uttar Pradesh has received 10 per cent above-normal rainfall, a positive development for farmers. Over the past one and a half months, the state has recorded 492.1 mm of rainfall, exceeding the expected 449.1 mm. Western UP has seen 31 per cent surplus rain, while eastern UP has received 4 per cent below normal.