lucknow broke a decade old record

It was June at its brightest and hottest and the mercury going beserk. lucknow broke a decade old record when it recorded a maximum temperature of 46.3 degree celcius which was 6 degrees above normal on Friday. It was a day with literally fire blazing down from the sky scorching the city denizens already reeling under frequent power cuts.

For the state capital the all time record has been of 46.1 degree celcius which was recorded on June 20 on 2005. Across the state  heat wave conditions prevailed with Allahabad recording a maximum temperature of 48.3 degree celcius. The bad news is that the Met Department has forecasted no relief from heat and there is a warning that heat wave conditions would prevail across the state 

As per the official website of the Met department the hottest days in the month of June in the past few years have been as follows. lucknow recorded a maximum temperature of 38.7 degree celcius ( June 5, 2013) , 45.4 (June 14 2012), 42 (June 5 2011), 43.8 (June 1 2010), 44.8 degree celcius (June 22 2009), 40 (June 2 2008), 44.6 (June 3 2007),  41 (June 13 2006), 46.1 (June 20 2005) and 41.2 (June 8 2004)

Director Met Office JP Gupta said that there would be no respite from heat and the temperature would hover around higher ranges.

For lucknow it was literally fire blazing from the sky scorching the city denizens already harried by power cuts. The roads carried a deserted look even as normal life was completely disrupted. Most city denizens preferred to stay in orders as the most seductive shopping arcades proved to be of  no attraction for the city denizens in the furnace like atmosphere created by the heat.  

However the continuous tripping of power also provided no relief for those who had opted to stay indoors. Most opted for light meals and chilled soothing drinks.

The commuters both girls and boys moved in faces wrapped in cloth revealing not an inch of their body. For those who stepped out persistent squinting of the eyes in the face of harsh sun brought severe head aches. On roads every kind of thirst quencher was welcome for the traditional aam pana to the fizzy carbonated drinks as the hot sun sapped the water from the body. Sun glasses, umbrellas among the smaller items and the air conditioners among the bigger items saw a brisk sale.

The swimming pools in the city saw a heavy rush with everyone making a beeline to plunge into the water and splash themselves cool and people stepped out late in the evening after being packed in for many claustrophobic hours.  Restaurants across the city had meagre attendance while vendors preferred to pack their wares with heat being a major spoiler for their business.

Across the state it was the same picture. Kanpur which recorded a maximum of 46 degree celcius witnessed huge queques outside the government hospitals with most hospitals saw several patients complaining of diarrhoea. Patients also complained of blood pressure and dry skin problems along with migraines,

In Varanasi  which recorded a maximum of 46.7 degree celcius which was 7 degrees above normal the ghaats presented a completely bare look with boats standing still and the tourists preferring to step out in the morning and the evening. For the  two ghats of Manikamika and Harishchandra there was an increasing number of bodies reported  of the aged and the frail who could not bear the heat.

Simmilar conditions prevailed across the districts  with Sultanpur recording a maximum of 43.6 degree celcius, Fursatganj 46.6,  Hamirpur 46.2 and Banda 47.6 degree celcius. For those who are awaiting monsoons the Director Met said that it was too early to predict the date for Uttar Pradesh.