Cool spell to end soon, mercury to soar above 40 degrees again

Lucknow: The break from extreme heat which the city had been experiencing since Thursday evening is set to end soon as the weatherman has predicted gradual rise in temperatures to 40 degrees Celsius and above by this weekend.With the weather system that brought widespread showers across the region weakening, both day and night temperatures are likely to inch upwards, leading to hot and humid conditions.On Monday, the maximum temperature in city was 34.1 degrees Celsius, six degrees below the seasonal average, while the minimum was 24.8 degrees Celsius, nearly two degrees below normal.The India Meteorological Department has forecast partly cloudy sky for Tuesday. According to IMD, the recent drop in temperatures was driven by thunderstorms, rainfall and gusty winds associated with an active weather system comprising a western disturbance and moisture-laden easterly winds.“With the system now weakening and no major weather activity expected over the next few days, temperatures will rise steadily across state in coming days,” said Mohammad Danish, senior scientist at IMD, Lucknow“Weather is expected to remain largely dry over eastern UP, while isolated parts of western parts may witness rain or thundershowers on Tuesday. However, from Wednesday, temperatures will start rising across the state and intense hot conditions are expected by the weekend,” said Danish said.In fact, mercury levels were already high at a few places in the state on Monday. Fatehgarh was the hottest place in the state at 42 degrees Celsius, followed by Basti at 41.0 degrees Celsius and Orai at 39.4 degrees Celsius.Hardoi recorded the lowest maximum temperature at 30.6 degrees Celsius, followed by Shahjahanpur at 31.8 degrees Celsius and Etawah at 32.4 degrees Celsius.