Red alert issued in 10 Uttar Pradesh districts as severe heatwave grips State

The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for 10 districts in Uttar Pradesh, warning of severe to very severe heatwave conditions on Friday, May 22, as extreme temperatures continued to sweep across the State.

According to the Meteorological Centre in Lucknow, the red alert has been issued for Banda, Chitrakoot, Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Fatehpur, Pratapgarh, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Bhadohi and Jaunpur districts.

An orange alert has also been sounded for 34 districts, including Meerut, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Mathura and Agra, while a yellow alert has been issued for 17 districts such as Lucknow, Barabanki and Ayodhya.

The weather office said maximum temperatures in eastern Uttar Pradesh are likely to rise further by 2-3 degrees Celsius over the next 48 hours, while no major change is expected in other parts of the State during the week.

Under the warning system, a red alert signifies that severe heatwave conditions are expected to persist for more than two days and may pose a serious risk to public health.

The intense heatwave continued across Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, with Banda recording the highest temperature in the State at 47.6 degrees Celsius. Prayagraj recorded 46.6 degrees Celsius, while Varanasi (BHU) registered 45.6 degrees Celsius.

Lucknow recorded a maximum temperature of 43.6 degrees Celsius, which was 3.4 degrees above normal, according to the MeT department.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed all departments to remain on alert and ensure preparedness to tackle heat-related illnesses. District administrations, hospitals, power and relief departments have been asked to maintain adequate stocks of medicines, beds, IV fluids, drinking water and emergency ambulance services.

The IMD attributed the prevailing extreme weather conditions to clear skies, absence of any active weather system and hot, dry westerly winds leading to enhanced surface heating.