Lucknow, April 7 Rain accompanied by strong winds and thunderstorms lashed Lucknow and several parts of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday evening, with the capital witnessing cloudy skies, lightning, and light showers, officials said.
Cloud cover developed over Lucknow in the evening, followed by strong winds and light rain, providing relief from the day's heat. Similar weather conditions prevailed across large parts of the state, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
According to the IMD, light rainfall was recorded in many districts, stretching from Saharanpur in western Uttar Pradesh to Sonbhadra in the east and Agra in the south.
Districts including Lucknow, Raebareli, Unnao, Pratapgarh, Prayagraj, Mirzapur, Sonbhadra, Chandauli, Varanasi, Jaunpur, Azamgarh, Ambedkar Nagar, Sant Kabir Nagar, Lakhimpur Kheri, Pilibhit, Bareilly, Rampur, Moradabad, Amroha, Bijnor, Budaun, Hardoi, and Shahjahanpur received light rainfall of up to 5 mm and were placed under a yellow alert.
The IMD said that these areas could experience light thunderstorms with wind speeds below 40 kmph and a low probability of lightning.
An orange alert was issued for districts including Bahraich, Barabanki, Sitapur, Basti, Gonda, Sultanpur, and Amethi, where moderate thunderstorms with wind speeds between 41 and 61 kmph were likely.
Earlier in the day, the IMD reported very light rainfall across both western and eastern Uttar Pradesh in the past 24 hours, with isolated thunderstorms, strong winds, and lightning.
On Tuesday, Lucknow recorded a maximum temperature of around 34.5 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 20.4 degrees Celsius.
Kanpur recorded a maximum of around 35 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 18 degrees, while Gorakhpur saw temperatures rise above 36 degrees Celsius. Varanasi and Prayagraj recorded maximum temperatures of around 37 degrees Celsius, with minimum temperatures hovering around 18-20 degrees.
In western Uttar Pradesh, Gautam Buddh Nagar recorded a minimum temperature of around 17.5 degrees Celsius and Ghaziabad around 20 degrees, while Agra recorded 33.7 degrees Celsius as maximum and 20.6 degrees as minimum. Aligarh registered temperatures between 18 and 30 degrees Celsius.
The highest maximum temperature in the state on Tuesday was recorded in Banda at 38.6 degrees Celsius, while the lowest minimum temperature was around 15.5 degrees Celsius in Bijnor.
The IMD has forecast rain and thundershowers at many places in western Uttar Pradesh on April 7 and at a few places on April 8, while eastern Uttar Pradesh is likely to see scattered rainfall on April 7 and more widespread activity on April 8.
Thunderstorms accompanied by strong winds of up to 60 kmph and isolated hailstorms are also likely in parts of the state over the next two days, the IMD said.
