Sultry spell breaks as skies open up

LUCKNOW: Thunderstorm and rainfall on Friday morning brought relief from sultry conditions prevailing for the past few days. Weatherman said that cloudy sky with possibility of light rain or thunderstorm is expected on Saturday and Sunday as well.

People woke up to overcast sky on Friday morning. Thunderstorm followed by heavy spell of rain brought temperatures down. The Met observatory at Amausi recorded 58.4 mm rainfall, which was heaviest in the state followed by Allahabad which recorded 33.4 mm.

Following rain, the maximum temperature in the city dropped to 33.5 degrees Celsius, six degrees below normal. However, minimum temperature was 27.2 degrees Celsius, a degree above normal. The sultry conditions were back in the afternoon but did not pinch as much as they did on Wednesday and Thursday because temperatures were low.

State Met director JP Gupta said southeasterly winds also bring moisture into the atmosphere from the Bay of Bengal. Together, these factors are responsible for the change in the weather conditions. Rains and thundershowers were reported from some parts of east UP on Friday.

In city, similar conditions will prevail on Saturday and Sunday, although intensity of the rainfall would be less in comparison to Friday. Maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to be around 38 and 27 degrees Celsius, respectively.