E-Paper
Lucknow scorches at 40.4°, sees hottest March day in 4 yrs
LUCKNOW It’s March, but it feels like May! The mercury rose to 40
LUCKNOW It’s March, but it feels like May! The mercury rose to 40.4 degrees Celsius on Tuesday with Lucknow recording its hottest day in March in four years. The temperature was 5.4 degrees above normal, said Met department officials.
The mercury level came close to Lucknow’s all-time highest day temperature for the month (41.1 degrees) recorded on March 30, 2017, according to the IMD website.
Many other cities across UP experienced a ‘heat wave’ with Banda emerging as the hottest at 42.4 degrees Celsius (5.1 degrees above normal). Jhansi also recorded its hottest day (42.1 degrees) in March in a decade and Varanasi sizzled at 41.6 degrees.
Hamirpur saw a maximum temperature of 41.2 degrees followed by Sultanpur 41, Agra 40.6 and Fursatganj 40. The day temperatures in most cities were above normal, according to the IMD bulletin.
“But from here on, a drop in temperature is expected as western disturbances active in North India are getting weak,” said JP Gupta, Met director on Tuesday.
Gupta said, “With western disturbances centred over North India and clear sky, the maximum temperature is going north gradually. But expect a drop in day temperature from Thursday.”
Gaurav, 22, an IT professional, said: “I never experienced such weather during Holi in Lucknow. We had to put on the ceiling fan. Now, we are about to get our air conditioner serviced because it is just a matter of few days when day temperature will rise.”
“It is getting hotter by the day,” said Vineet Gupta, a shopkeeper in Aminabad market.
