Agra sizzles at 46.9°C, hottest in the country

Agra records hottest day of the season at 46.9°C, 4.6°C above normal. Heat wave in UP, with Lucknow at 42.4°C. Dry weather with strong winds expected.

Amidst the ongoing heat wave in Uttar Pradesh, the Taj city Agra recorded the hottest day of the season at 46.9 degrees Celsius on Friday. This was 4.6 degrees Celsius above normal, and the highest temperature recorded for the day across the country.

Commuters are seen covering their face with a cloth to protect himself from the heat wave on a hot summer day at sector-15 road near Jharsa Chowk, in Gurugram, India, on Friday (Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times)

This is the third-highest day temperature recorded in Taj city for the month of May since 1974. The all-time highest maximum temperature for the month was 48.5 degrees Celsius on May 31, 1994, and 47.7 degrees Celsius on May 16, 2022.

According to the India Meteorological Department, there will be a heat wave in the state capital and adjoining areas from Sunday onwards as the day temperature in Lucknow will rise further. The day temperature in Lucknow was 42.4 degrees Celsius on Friday, which is 2.2 degrees Celsius above normal.

“Maximum temperatures will increase from here on,” said Mohd Danish, Lucknow Met in charge. The forecast for Lucknow is mainly clear skies, with maximum and minimum temperatures around 44 degrees Celsius and 27 degrees Celsius, respectively.

The forecast for UP is that the weather is most likely to be dry with strong surface winds (speed 25-35 km/h) very likely over the state. The Met department issued a warning of heat wave conditions very likely at isolated places over East UP and at a few places in West UP.

The situation in Jhansi was no better at 45.6 degrees Celsius. At Kanpur (Indian Air Force station), the maximum temperature was recorded at 44.8, Hamirpur 44.2, Etawah 44, Fursatganj 43.8, Aligarh 43.6, Bahraich 43.4, and Bulandshahr, Hardoi, Basti, and Meerut 43 degrees Celsius.