No let-up in heatwave, red alert for 13 districts
Met has issued warnings of heatwave to severe heatwave conditions at a few places in West UP and heatwave conditions at isolated places in East UP.
A heatwave gripped most parts of western Uttar Pradesh and several eastern pockets of the state on Sunday. Mercury soared the highest at Jhansi and Agra.
Jhansi recorded its hottest day of the season at 47.6°C, which was 4.5 degrees above normal. Its previous high this year was recorded at 47.2 degrees on May 19. The all-time highest maximum temperature in Jhansi was recorded at 48.2 in 1984.
The situation was no better in Agra where day temperatures soared to 46.8 degrees, which was 3.9 degrees above normal. On May 19 this year, the Taj city reeled under 47.7 degrees Celsius. A day before, the city was hottest in the country at 46.9 degrees.
Weathermen say dry weather conditions would continue to prevail in the state that will also experience strong surface winds with speed of up to 25-35 kmph. The Met department has issued warnings of heatwave to severe heatwave conditions at a few places in West UP and heatwave conditions at isolated places in East UP.
Extreme heat to continue: IMD
IMD has issued red, orange and yellow alerts for several districts. For Monday, red alert has been sounded for 13 districts including Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Aligarh, Mathura, Hathras, Agra, Firozabad, Etawah, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Jhansi and Lalitpur.
While orange alert was issued for eight districts--Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur City, Baghpat, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Etah, Mainpuri and Auraiya and their nearby places. They are expected to reel under heatwave. Yellow alert was issued for eight districts--Banda, Chitrakoot, Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Fatehpur, Pratapgarh, Rae Bareli and Meerut.
Similarly for Tuesday, IMD issued red alert for 13 districts: Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Aligarh, Mathura, Hathras, Agra, Firozabad, Etawah, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Jhansi, Lalitpur and places nearby that are expected to experience severe heatwave.
Orange alert was issued for eight districts: Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur City, Baghpat, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Etah, Mainpuri, Auraiya and places nearby. And yellow alert for Banda, Chitrakoot, Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Fatehpur, Pratapgarh, Rae Bareli and Meerut.
46.4 at Kanpur IAF, 43.5 in Lucknow
On Sunday, Kanpur Indian Air Force (IAF) saw temperatures spike to 46.4 degrees, Orai 45.4, Prayagraj 44.4, Fatehpur 44.2, and Sultanpur, Etawah and Hardoi 44 degrees.
The maximum and minimum temperatures in Lucknow were recorded at 43.5 degrees, which was 3.4 degrees above normal, and 31.1 degrees, respectively. Even the night temperatures in state capital were 5.6 degrees above normal. On Monday, the state capital is likely to witness similar weather conditions.
Day temperatures in Sultanpur (44), Gorakhpur (41.6), Ballia (41.5), Bahraich (41.8), Najibabad (41.8) and Muzaffarnagar (41.9) were also much above normal.
Barabanki (41.5), Hardoi (44), Kanpur City (44.2), Varanasi BHU (42), Fursat ganj (43.2), Shahajhanpur (41), Meerut (42.8), was above normal while at Fatehgarh (40.9), Lakhimpur Kheri (38), Gorakhpur (41.6) and Etawah (44) to experienced intense heat.
Under the harsh weather conditions in the state capital, citizens stated that they found it difficult to even commute on two-wheelers.
Anu, a pet owner, explained her ordeal: “We can’t take our dogs out for a walk in this extreme heat. Hot concrete can injure their paws.” People are advised to keep out bowls of water for birds and animals.
Saud Ahmad, a 21-year-old football player said, “The threat of a heatstroke is making it extremely difficult for us to practice.” Pari Singh, a climate activist, said, “The rising temperatures and the looming heatstroke warnings are a wake-up call to the authorities as well as the people to preserve the planet’s resources as much as we can.”
