Lucknow: Moisture-laden easterly winds from Bay of Bengal made conditions more oppressive in the state capital on Tuesday, even as actual maximum temperature stayed around 41 degrees Celsius. The increased humidity raised the heat index, making it feel closer to 43 degrees Celsius and adding to residents’ discomfort.According to India Meteorological Department, Lucknow, state capital recorded maximum temperature of 40.9 degrees Celsius, which was 0.7 degrees Celsius above normal, while minimum settled at 27.8 degrees Celsius, 2.5 degrees Celsius above normal. While the humidity remained high, between 39% to 60%, it increased the sultry conditions despite dry weather.IMD Lucknow senior scientist Mohammad Danish said, “Easterly winds from Bay of Bengal are carrying moisture into eastern and central parts of UP, increasing humidity levels and making temperature feel two to three degrees Celsius higher than actual reading, leading to sultry conditions.”He added that such easterly winds can sometimes trigger clouding or isolated showers. However, no rainfall was recorded across the region. Meanwhile, IMD forecast for Wednesday indicates clear skies with strong surface winds blowing at 20 to 30 kmph, gusting up to 40 kmph. Maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to remain around 42 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius, respectively.Across UP, weather conditions are expected to stay dry. Met department has warned strong surface winds are likely over much of the state, while heatwave to severe heatwave conditions may prevail at many places over southern districts and at a few places in the remaining parts.
