Lucknow: Cloudy skies and drizzle continued across Uttar Pradesh for the second consecutive day on Saturday, significantly improving the state’s rain score in Oct, turning the 80% deficit till two days ago into a 52% surplus in 48 hours.The rain activity is expected to subside from Sunday, with skies likely to clear gradually across the state. Meteorological officials said the showers were associated with the remnants of Cyclone Arnab that led to a drastic drop in maximum temperatures in most parts of the state. However, they ruled out speculation about early onset of the winter season due to rains.“The rainfall was caused by the influence of the cyclonic system. It is a temporary weather phenomenon and should not be interpreted as the onset of winter. Rain activity is expected to subside, and skies will gradually clear from Sunday,” said senior scientist Mohammad Danish.In Lucknow, the sky remained largely overcast on Saturday, with intermittent drizzle keeping daytime temperatures relatively low. Lucknow received 23.9mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8.30am on Saturday. The minimum temperature settled at 20.5 degrees Celsius, 4.3 degrees above normal, while the maximum temperature was around 25 degrees Celsius.On Sunday, there will be generally cloudy skies, gradually becoming partly cloudy in Lucknow. The maximum temperature is expected to rise to around 29 degrees Celsius, while the minimum is likely to settle at 19 degrees Celsius. Weather conditions are expected to improve further from Monday, with mainly clear skies and the maximum temperature likely to climb to around 31 degrees Celsius.The widespread rainfall also brought a sharp dip in daytime temperatures across several districts. Gorakhpur recorded the state’s lowest maximum temperature at 22.5 degrees Celsius, followed by Bahraich and Barabanki at around 23 degrees Celsius. Amethi recorded 24 degrees Celsius, while Banda registered 24.2 degrees Celsius. Ballia and Azamgarh recorded maximum temperatures of 25.3 and 25.4 degrees Celsius, respectively.The late-month showers also changed the state’s overall rainfall figures for October. Uttar Pradesh received an average rainfall of 32.1 mm per district in the month against the normal of 28.2 mm, recording a 14% surplus. Western UP recorded a 37% surplus and the East 3% above normal.
