Lucknow: As temperatures continued to rise, mercury levels crossed 40 degrees Celsius mark in southern parts of the state on Tuesday.There is no relief likely in coming days as the Met official predicted that temperatures will rise further by a couple of degrees. Banda recorded 42.6 degrees Celsius, highest in the state, followed by Jhansi at 40.5 degrees Celsius, Prayagraj 40.4 degrees Celsius and Varanasi at 40.1 degrees Celsius.Meanwhile, the state capital also witnessed clear skies and hot winds on Tuesday. The maximum temperature was 38.1 degrees Celsius and minimum 19.8 degrees Celsius.Mohammad Danish, senior scientist at IMD Lucknow, said that no active weather system is likely over the next four to five days. Dry westerly winds are expected to persist. An anticyclone over peninsular regions, including Karnataka and Maharashtra, is moving towards central India, which may push temperatures up by another 3 to 4 degrees Celsius.As a result, maximum temperatures in Lucknow and adjoining areas are expected to cross 40 degrees Celsius soon and remain above normal in the coming days.
