Lucknow: With no let-up in scorching weather on Tuesday, Banda became hottest place in the country for the third time in the past six days. In fact, three cities from UP were among 10 hottest districts in India.Banda sizzled at 44.4 degrees Celsius, 3.9 units above normal, followed by Jharsuguda (Odisha) and Akola (Maharashtra) recorded 43.6 degrees Celsius each. The fourth hottest were Daltonganj (Jharkhand), Yeotmal (Maharashtra), Amroti (Maharashtra) and Sultanpur (UP), all at 43.4 degrees Celsius.Jamshedpur (Jharkhand) with 43.3 degrees Celsius was at the fifth place, while sixth spot was shared by two cities Prayagraj (UP) and Bankura (West Bengal) at 43.2 degrees Celsius.Earlier, Banda was hottest in the country on Apr 16 (44.4 degrees Celsius) and Apr 17 (45.5 degrees Celsius).Meanwhile, in UP, as clear sky and dry hot winds continued to lash state mercilessly, maximum temperatures in most parts were above 40 degrees Celsius.Highest level mercury touched in Lucknow was 40.2 degrees Celsius, a slight dip from Monday’s 41.6 degrees Celsius due to strong afternoon winds (40–50 km/h) in the afternoon. The night was also warm with a minimum temperature 23.6 degrees Celsius, 1.4 units above normal.On Wednesday, however, the sky is expected be clear in the city with maximum and minimum temperatures expected to be around 42 and 24 degree Celsius, respectively.Meteorologists said major factors behind the harsh conditions included an anticyclone over Maharashtra which acted as a booster for the dry hot winds coming from the desert region of Rajasthan. Clear sky allowed direct penetration of sun rays on earth surface, adding to the sizzling conditions.Senior scientist at the IMD, Lucknow, Mohammad Danish predicted that temperatures are expected to rise by a couple of degrees in the next few days.“A shift is anticipated on Apr 26 under the influence of a western disturbance (WD) approaching the country, bringing brief relief with partly cloudy skies. Light rainfall or drizzle may also occur at isolated places in west UP on Apr 27, but eastern parts of the state will continue to reel under hot conditions,” he explained.Banda (Uttar Pradesh) 44.2°CJharsuguda (Odisha) 43.6°CAkola (Maharashtra) 43.6°CDaltonganj (Jharkhand) 43.4°CSultanpur (Uttar Pradesh) 43.4°CJamshedpur (Jharkhand) 43.3°CPrayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) 43.2°CBankura (West Bengal) 43.2°CKhajuraho (Madhya Pradesh) 43.0°CHoshangabad (Madhya Pradesh) 43.0°CJalgaon (Maharashtra) 42.9°CWardha (Maharashtra) 42.8°CGaya (Bihar) 42.7°CSidhi (Madhya Pradesh) 42.6°CWashim (Maharashtra) 42.6°C
