Weather Update: IMD issued yellow alert, warning of heatwave in 18 districts of Uttar Pradesh till Monday

LUCKNOW: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heatwave warning for 18 districts of Uttar Pradesh for the next 48 hours (Sunday and Monday), an IMD official said. The IMD said that the day temperature at these places would go above 40 degree Celsius. After this, it will rain in different areas of eastern and western Uttar Pradesh for five days from Tuesday evening.

The heatwave-hit districts are Banda, Chitrakoot, Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Fatehpur, Sonbhadra, Mirzapur, Mathura, Agra, Firozabad, Etawah, Auraiya, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Jhansi, Lalitpur and surrounding areas. Lucknow Meteorological Office in-charge Mohammad Danish said that in 12 out of the 18 districts mentioned above, the condition of heatwave remained on Saturday as well.

IMD has issued a yellow alert for these 18 districts. The IMD uses four color codes for weather warnings – green (no action required), yellow (watch and stay updated), orange (be prepared) and red (take action). Heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature is 40 degrees Celsius or more, or 4.5 degrees above normal for two consecutive days. The day temperature in the districts of Uttar Pradesh was 3.5 degree Celsius above normal on Saturday.

Jhansi was the hottest day temperature in the state at 45.1 degrees Celsius, Prayagraj 44.8, Agra and Varanasi (BHU) 43, Kanpur 42.3, Lakhimpur Kheri, Fursatganj and Orai at 42 degrees Celsius. The maximum and minimum temperature in Lucknow was recorded at 40.1 and 24.4 degree Celsius respectively. The sky is expected to be mainly clear in the state capital.

The heatwave warning comes as most schools in the state, including government primary and upper primary schools, remain closed for summer vacations. Monsoon enters India around 1st June. It reaches Uttar Pradesh between June 18 and 20 through eastern districts like Ballia and Gorakhpur.

Meanwhile, since the heat poses a major health risk between 12 noon and 4.30 pm, when day temperatures are highest, doctors said that if possible, one should avoid going out during these hours. NS Verma, senior faculty, King George’s Medical University (KGMU), said, “Try to limit outdoor work during these hours, until the monsoon hits the region and the humidity level rises and the temperature drops a bit. “

PK Gupta, former president of the Indian Medical Association, Lucknow branch, said, “Make sure that your water intake is consistent throughout the day. While going out of the house, drink an extra glass of water, cover your head with a cap/cotton cloth If using public transport or using a bike, use a helmet. If you go out in a car, don’t use the air conditioning until the end of your journey.”

Abhishek Shukla, specialist in geriatric medicine and head of Aastha Hospice, advises, “Keep the car AC on low so that there is no big difference between outside (car) and inside temperature. Switch off the AC and open the window a minute before if the car If elderly people are traveling in the city, avoid using AC on maximum mode, as it can cause the body temperature to deteriorate quickly.