A relentless heatwave swept across Uttar Pradesh on Monday, pushing temperatures to alarming levels as Banda recorded 47.6 degrees Celsius for the second straight day, retaining its position as the hottest place in the country, while Lucknow logged its warmest day of the season at 43.2 degrees Celsius.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an ‘Orange Warning’ for large parts of the state, forecasting heatwave to severe heatwave conditions in several districts over the next week.
“An Orange alert for heatwave to severe heatwave conditions has been issued for the state once again for the week. Heatwave conditions are expected to persist in the southern and central parts of the state for the next seven days, while Western Uttar Pradesh will experience warm nights over the next two days,” said Mohd Danish, senior scientist at Lucknow Met office.
Banda remained at the centre of the heat surge, with the mercury touching 47.6 degrees Celsius, 4.1 notches above normal. The district had recorded the same temperature on April 27 this year and was then reported as the hottest city globally.
Bundelkhand continued to bear the brunt of the scorching weather, with Jhansi recording 45.7 degrees Celsius and Hamirpur 45.6 degrees Celsius. Prayagraj was close behind at 46.8 degrees Celsius, 5.5 notches above normal.
Several eastern and central districts also remained under heatwave conditions, including Varanasi at 45 degrees Celsius, Orai at 44.6 degrees Celsius and Ghazipur at 44 degrees Celsius.
More than 20 districts, including Banda, Chitrakoot, Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Fatehpur, Pratapgarh, Varanasi, Jaunpur, Kanpur, Rae Bareli, Agra, Jalaun, Hamirpur and Jhansi, have been placed under Orange alert.
A Yellow alert has also been sounded for districts such as Mirzapur, Chandauli, Azamgarh, Mau, Kannauj, Unnao, Amethi, Aligarh, Mathura, Hathras and Mainpuri, where heatwave conditions are likely.
The weather office warned of warm nights in western Uttar Pradesh, including districts like Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Gautam Buddha Nagar and Bulandshahr, where night temperatures are expected to remain unusually high.
The forecast suggests dry weather will continue across the state, accompanied by strong surface winds of 20 to 30 kmph, gusting up to 40 kmph. Officials said prolonged dry conditions and hot westerly winds have intensified daytime heating across Uttar Pradesh.
In Lucknow, the maximum temperature settled at 43.2 degrees Celsius, surpassing the earlier season high of 43 degrees Celsius recorded on April 26. The minimum temperature was 28.6 degrees Celsius. Clear skies and strong winds are likely to continue, with temperatures expected to hover around similar levels over the next 24 hours.
Meteorologists attributed the prevailing conditions to active western systems over northern Iran and an upper-air cyclonic circulation over northeastern Uttar Pradesh and adjoining Bihar, which, combined with dry weather, have contributed to the sharp rise in temperatures.
