Uttar Pradesh is experiencing extreme heatwave conditions forcing the state government to take several measures, including delaying the reopening of schools after summer vacations.
The weather office has issued a Red alert in 27 districts, mostly of Bundelkhand region and its adjoining districts for the next 48 hours. Orange alert has been issued for 24 districts including state capital Lucknow.
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The government schools, which were scheduled to reopen on June 18 after summer vacation, will now reopen on June 28.
Though media reports claim that more than 100 people have died due to heatstroke, there is no official word on the deaths. But all the government and private hospitals are full with patients who have suffered heatstroke.
Due to the prevailing extreme weather, the consumption of electricity has gone up and UP Power Corporation has been supplying a record 30,000 megawatt of power everyday. But still there is power rostering in the rural and urban areas and reports of transformers burning were excessive in this weather condition.
Weather experts say due to dry and hot westerly wind, clear sky and intense sunlight, the intensity of the heat wave has increased rapidly.
Kanpur was the hottest in the state with 46.6 degrees Celsius on Thursday. The minimum temperature here was also 34.9 degrees, which was the highest.
On Friday too, the maximum temperature in Kanpur, Prayagraj and Agra would be around 46 degrees, the Met office here said.
According to meteorologist Atul Kumar Singh, the ongoing heat wave and severe heat wave conditions in most places of the state will continue without any significant change till June 15. After this, there is a possibility of change in wind pattern and cloud cover in the eastern Terai region. Due to rain, there is a possibility of partial reduction in heat wave conditions in the eastern Terai region after June 16.
On Thursday, Kanpur recorded 46.6 deg C, Prayagraj 46.4 deg C and Agra: 46.5 deg C.
The mercury also crossed 45 degrees in Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Hamirpur, Orai, Fursatganj, Ayodhya, Sultanpur, Bahraich, Varanasi and Barabanki districts.
The weather office on Friday issued heatwave Red alert in Banda, Chitrakoot, Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Fatehpur, Mirzapur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Gorakhpur, Sant Kabirnagar, Basti, Gonda, Bahraich, Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur Nagar, Mathura, Agra, Firozabad, Etawah, Auraiya, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Jhansi and Lalitpur districts.
Similarly Orange alert has been issued for Pratapgarh, Sonbhadra, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Azamgarh, Mau, Ballia, Deoria, Shravasti, Sitapur, Unnao, Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Ambedkarnagar, Baghpat, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Hathras, Etah and Mainpuri and nearby districts areas.
Besides Yellow alert has been sounded in Kushinagar, Maharajganj, Siddharthnagar, Balrampur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Hardoi, Farrukhabad, Kannauj, Barabanki, Amethi, Sultanpur, Ayodhya, Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Kasganj, Bijnor, Amroha, Moradabad, Rampur, Bareilly, Shahjahanpur, Sambhal, Badaun and surrounding districts.
