Heat wave may keep Lucknow on the simmer this week

LUCKNOW: The city recorded hottest day of the season so far on Sunday as mercury soared to 43 degrees Celsius, three notches above normal.
Brace for hotter days as the weather department has issued warning of a heat wave, with temperatures expected to increase further till the weekend before a thunderstorm may bring some relief.

The soaring temperatures, along with high relative humidity 26%-78%, made conditions highly uncomfortable for people during the day.Night too had no relief with minimum temperature recorded at 28.5 degrees Celsius, 3.3 units above normal. Sultry conditions prevailed all day, making it difficult for people to venture out for Eid purchase.
Sate Met director JP Gupta said that dry hot winds from Rajasthan are expected to lash Uttar Pradesh unabated for the next few days, resulting in gradual rise in temperatures. Heat wave may also take some parts of the state, including Lucknow in its grip, he warned.
On Monday, sky would be clear, with maximum and minimum temperatures expected to be around 44 and 28 degrees Celsius. Similar conditions are expected to prevail till Friday. Excessive heat and change in the wind pattern may lead to thunderstorm on the weekend.
The summers in the city were pleasant in the month of April and first two weeks of May. But mercury touched 40 degrees Celsius-mark on May 16 and has been rising gradually since then.