Lucknow, April 8 Unseasonal rain accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and hail activity affected parts of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, with the weather department forecasting a gradual improvement from April 9 and dry conditions setting in the following day.
According to officials, the current spell was triggered by an active western disturbance persisting as a cyclonic circulation over north Pakistan and adjoining Jammu and Kashmir. Its interaction with another cyclonic circulation over north-west Uttar Pradesh, a trough extending up to Manipur, and the subtropical jet stream in the upper atmosphere has led to widespread weather activity across the state.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the impact of these systems is expected to persist until April 8 with little change. However, a significant reduction in rainfall activity is likely from April 9, followed by completely dry weather conditions across the state from April 10.
The weather fluctuations have led to a sharp drop in temperatures. The maximum temperature in the state is expected to fall by 6-8 degrees Celsius on Thursday, before rising again by 8-10 degrees Celsius in subsequent days.
In Lucknow, the maximum temperature was recorded at 27 degrees Celsius, about 10.2 degrees below normal, while the minimum settled at 18.8 degrees Celsius. Light rainfall of 0.2 mm was recorded during the day.
Rainfall data from across the state showed varied precipitation levels.
Banda recorded the highest rainfall at 42 mm, followed by Azamgarh at 14 mm and Muzaffarnagar at 10.6 mm. Bareilly received 8.8 mm of rain, while Najibabad and Meerut recorded 3 mm each. Prayagraj reported 12 mm rainfall, Sultanpur 2 mm and Lakhimpur Kheri also 2 mm.
Light rainfall of 0.6 mm was recorded in Ghazipur, 0.4 mm at Varanasi Airport and 0.2 mm each in Varanasi (BHU) and Gorakhpur. Several places including Barabanki, Etawah, Kanpur city, Jhansi and Agra recorded no rainfall, while many stations reported only trace rainfall.
The forecast for April 9 indicates a generally cloudy sky in Lucknow and adjoining areas, turning partly cloudy later, with maximum and minimum temperatures likely to hover around 30 degrees Celsius and 17 degrees Celsius respectively.
At the state level, western Uttar Pradesh is likely to remain mostly dry, while eastern parts may witness isolated rain and thundershowers. No weather warning has been issued for the period.
Officials said the weather is expected to stabilise from April 10, bringing relief from the current spell of unseasonal rain and storm activity.