Rain continues to lash UP, 18 districts report above average rainfall

Heavy rain continued to pound the state for a second consecutive day with at least 18 districts receiving above average rainfall in the last 24 hours, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said

Heavy rain continued to pound the state for a second consecutive day with at least 18 districts receiving above average rainfall in the last 24 hours, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

A view of the water-logging after the rain at Ambedkar Park, in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow (HT Photo)

Lucknow recorded few showers on Friday. The pause in rain provided respite to residents as they battled water-logged roads and power cuts. Lucknow may experience scattered showers on Saturday, the state MeT department said.

Districts including Kannauj, Azamgarh, Ambedkarnagar, Ayodhya, Barabanki, Gonda and Sitapur received very heavy rain that continued from Thursday evening into the wee hours of Friday. A brief shower in over a dozen districts was also reported.

“Uttar Pradesh districts received 41.4 mm rainfall between September 16 and September 17, which is considerably more than the rainfall of 5.5 mm expected. The rain was caused by existing low pressure zones over Uttar Pradesh,” said JP Gupta, director, state MeT department. Uttar Pradesh recorded an average of 30 mm rainfall on Thursday that led to severe rain-related incidents across several districts of the state.

“Currently 49 out of 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh have received normal or above normal rainfall this monsoon season. The number of these districts is expected to reach close to 60 over the weekend,” said Gupta. “In terms of actual rain, UP has received 706 mm rainfall this monsoon till September 17 which is slightly less than normal. The deficit is also expected to be covered before the monsoon departs,” he added.

According to an IMD forecast, the rain in Uttar Pradesh will subside in the next 24 hours as the low pressure over areas subsides gradually and moves towards western India. Considering the forecast, the state MeT department has alerted district magistrates asking them to take measures to prevent damage caused by the rain.

According to agriculture experts, paddy farmers will benefit from the rain but water-logging in fields may harm vegetable crops and maize in the state.