Very heavy rain likely in Banda-Prayagraj belt; Lucknow enters normal rainfall range

The system is likely to move west-northwestwards over Jharkhand, southeastern UP and northern Chhattisgarh during the next 24 hours. Heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected in southern parts of the state during the next 48 hours, the weather department said.

Uttar Pradesh is likely to receive more heavy to very heavy rainfall till August 22 as a well-marked low-pressure area near southeastern UP maintains strong monsoon activity, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Wednesday.

People wade through a waterlogged road along the banks of the swollen Ganges as the river's water level rises following heavy rainfall, in Prayagraj on Wednesday. (PTI)

The system is likely to move west-northwestwards over Jharkhand, southeastern UP and northern Chhattisgarh during the next 24 hours. Heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected in southern parts of the state during the next 48 hours, the weather department said.

Orange, yellow alerts issued

An orange alert has been sounded for 11 districts, Banda, Chitrakoot, Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Fatehpur, Sonbhadra, Mirzapur, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Hamirpur, Mahoba and Lalitpur, warning of very heavy rainfall until Thursday morning.

A fresh orange alert has been issued for Friday covering Hamirpur, Mahoba, Jhansi and Lalitpur. A yellow alert for heavy rainfall remains in force for several other districts.

Lucknow deficit down to 14%

A surge in monsoon activity has pulled Lucknow’s seasonal rain deficit down from 22% on Sunday to 14% by Wednesday morning, IMD data showed.

The city recorded 15.5 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending 8:30 am Wednesday, taking its 96-hour total to 91 mm. Since June 1, Lucknow has logged 391.3 mm against a normal of 456.5 mm.

The state received 10.3 mm of rainfall in the same period, with Pratapgarh tehsil recording the highest at 130 mm, followed by Prayagraj observatory at 119.8 mm.

UP’s overall rainfall since June 1 stands at 428.3 mm against a normal of 513.7 mm, a 17% deficit. The spread remains uneven: East UP has a 24% deficit at 416.2 mm against a normal of 544.3 mm, while west UP is close to normal at 445.6 mm against 470.8 mm, a 5% deficit.