A punishing heatwave swept across Uttar Pradesh on Saturday with Banda recording a blistering 47.4°C, the highest temperature across the country, even as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a severe heatwave orange alert for 20 districts and their surrounding areas for Sunday.
These 20 districts include Banda, Prayagraj, Fatehpur, Varanasi, Ghazipur, Azamgarh, Rae Bareli, Amethi, Sultanpur, Jalaun and Hamirpur. Banda’s temperature on Saturday was 6.2 degrees above normal, matching its highest April temperature recorded on April 29, 2022.
Heatwave conditions are expected to persist across the state until April 27, with a possibility of “warm nights” occurring in isolated pockets. Nationally, Banda was followed by Barmer in Rajasthan and Amravati in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, recording 45.7°C and 45.6°C respectively.
In Uttar Pradesh, Prayagraj registered 45.5°C, while Varanasi touched 45.0°C, placing them among the most heat-affected cities in the country. Both cities witnessed four-year highs. Lucknow recorded its hottest day of the season as the mercury soared to 42.9°C, with maximum and minimum temperatures of around 44°C and 26°C respectively forecast for Sunday. IMD issued a warning of a very likely heat wave over the area.
The extreme temperature in Banda highlights the intensity of the heatwave gripping large parts of eastern and central Uttar Pradesh, where several districts reported dangerously high daytime temperatures well above seasonal averages.
Jhansi’s maximum temperature of 44.8°C made it the hottest in four years. Fourteen cities in Uttar Pradesh figured among the country’s hottest cities where the temperature was 41°C and above. Except for Najibabad, which recorded a maximum temperature of 39.2°C, other parts of the state experienced maximum temperatures of 40°C or higher. Heatwave conditions were also observed in Meerut (42.5°C), Agra (44.5°C), Shahjahanpur (42.3°C), Bareilly (42.8°C), Aligarh (43.8°C), Hardoi (42.5°C), Barabanki (43.4°C), Ghazipur (43.5°C) and Ballia (42°C).
Under the influence of a Western Disturbance, a spell of rainfall is expected in Western Uttar Pradesh on April 27, gradually moving eastward across the state and intensifying through the beginning of May. As a result of the consequent drop in temperatures by 3-5°C, heatwave conditions are likely to abate starting April 28. In line with this trend, isolated heatwave conditions are also likely to develop in Lucknow, during the April 26-27 period.
“Possibility of heatwave/loo conditions in the state until April 27. In view of the prevailing dry weather—characterised by maximum temperatures in the region reaching or exceeding 45°C—the persistence of dry westerly winds, resulting in a likelihood of no significant change in temperatures over the next two to three days,” said Atul Kumar, a senior scientist at Lucknow met office.
On Saturday, Muzaffarnagar’s minimum temperature rose to 27 degrees Celsius which is 7.4 degrees above normal.
www.hindustantimes.com
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