Lucknow, Mar 20 (PTI) Several districts in Uttar Pradesh witnessed gusty winds, thunderstorms and rainfall on Friday, bringing significant respite from heat but triggering stormy conditions, officials said.
Most districts adjoining Delhi and parts of western Uttar Pradesh experienced strong winds accompanied by lightning and rain, they said.
The wet spell, induced by an active western disturbance, started from Thursday evening and is likely to continue on Saturday, they said.
According to a senior scientist at the Regional Meteorological Centre in Lucknow, Atul Kumar Singh, the impact of the weather system will continue across eastern Uttar Pradesh, central regions and Bundelkhand on Saturday, with strong winds and thunderstorms expected in most parts of the state.
The Met office has issued an orange alert for hailstorms in about 27 districts, including Fatehpur, Kannauj, Kanpur Dehat, Meerut, Aligarh, Mathura, Agra and Etawah.
It said the ongoing weather activity is likely to cause a 5-7 degree drop in temperatures in the next two days.
The state capital Lucknow received light to moderate rainfall, recording 18 mm precipitation on Friday.
Maximum temperature in the city dropped sharply to 23.5 degrees Celsius, about 10 degrees below the season’s normal, while the minimum settled at 20.3 degrees Celsius, slightly above normal due to the cloud cover and moisture in the air.
According to the Met department, the prevailing conditions are expected to persist, with intermittent rain, thunderstorms and gusty winds likely over the next 24-48 hours.
Day temperatures are expected to remain subdued in the short term before gradually rising, while continued cloudiness and easterly winds may keep night temperatures relatively stable, it said.
Rainfall activity was reported from a majority of the districts, with light to moderate precipitation recorded at several places and trace rainfall at many others.
Hamirpur received the highest rainfall at 40 mm, followed by Bareilly, Shahjahanpur and Aligarh (24 mm each).
Moderate rainfall was recorded at Barabanki (18.2 mm), Bahraich (15.4 mm), Meerut (11.2 mm) and Moradabad (10.8 mm).
Light rainfall was recorded in districts such as Hardoi (3.2 mm), Agra (3.6 mm) and Jhansi (6.1 mm), while several places, including Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Varanasi and Prayagraj, reported only trace precipitation. A few districts, such as Etawah, Ballia and Ayodhya, recorded no rainfall.
Maximum temperatures remained significantly below normal in most parts of the state.
The highest maximum temperature was recorded in Ayodhya at 31.5 degrees Celsius, followed by Varanasi (31.4) and Ballia and Churk (31 each). Among other major centres, Gorakhpur registered 30.5 degrees Celsius and Lakhimpur Kheri 29.6 degrees Celsius, both below seasonal averages.
In contrast, western districts witnessed a sharp drop in temperatures, with Muzaffarnagar recording a maximum temperature of 17.8 degrees Celsius, Meerut 18.4 and Moradabad 19.8, marking a fall of 10-12 degrees below normal.
Minimum temperatures, however, saw a mixed trend and were generally above normal in many districts.
The lowest minimum temperature was recorded in Ayodhya and Bulandshahr at 14 degrees Celsius each, followed by Najibabad at 15.5 degrees Celsius.
In contrast, relatively higher night temperatures were observed in eastern districts, with Varanasi recording 22.6 degrees Celsius, Basti 22 and Ballia 21. Most other districts, including Lucknow, Kanpur and Prayagraj, reported minimum temperatures in the range of 17 to 20 degrees Celsius.
The Met department attributed the change in weather to an active western disturbance extending from northern Pakistan to Madhya Pradesh, along with cyclonic circulations over Haryana and southern Uttar Pradesh.
Under its influence, thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds with speeds of 40-60 kilometres per hour and hailstorms are likely at isolated places across the state, it said.
The department has advised caution in view of the possibility of lightning and strong winds across several districts. PTI CDN RUK RUK
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