LUCKNOW: The sudden change in weather across Uttar Pradesh, marked by storms and rainfall, has claimed 13 lives in storm-related incidents. Strong winds caused widespread damage, uprooting trees and electricity poles and collapsing several mud houses.
While the rain and storms brought relief from the ongoing heatwave and scorching temperatures, seven of the deceased were from Sultanpur. Ayodhya and Amethi reported two deaths each, while Prayagraj and Ghazipur recorded one fatality each. At least 21 people were injured in various incidents.
Wind speeds touched 100 km/h in Varanasi and 87 km/h in Ayodhya during the storm. Early on Thursday, heavy rain accompanied by thunder and lightning lashed cities including Kanpur, Agra, Mathura and Unnao, while Lucknow witnessed intermittent drizzle and cool winds.
The Meteorological Department has issued rain alerts for 68 districts across the state, warning of lightning strikes and strong winds. The weather is expected to remain unstable for the next five days.
On Wednesday, more than 30 districts, including Prayagraj and Varanasi, experienced storms and rainfall, while hailstorms were reported in at least 10 districts such as Lucknow, Barabanki, Unnao, Amethi, Rae Bareli and Jaunpur.
Despite the change in weather, Banda in the Bundelkhand region remained the hottest district, recording a maximum temperature of 45.8°C.
According to Atul Kumar Singh, senior scientist at the Regional Meteorological Centre in Lucknow, the weather shift is due to a cyclonic system over northern Pakistan and adjoining Jammu and Kashmir. He added that rainfall activity is likely to continue into the first week of May, bringing relief from heat but also thunderstorms, lightning and possible hail.
