The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of more rainfall, thunderstorms, lightning and strong gusty winds for Uttar Pradesh for the next 24 hours. The weather office has sounded an orange alert Lucknow, Kanpur, and other areas and said Kanpur Dehat, Unnao, Hardoi, Sitapur, Rae Bareli, Gonda, Shravasti, Lakhimpur Kheri, Farrukhabad, Shahjahanpur, and Pilibhit would be the most affected areas. The IMD has forecast wind speed of 40 to 60 kmph along with moderate rain and isolated hailstorms.
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A yellow alert has been issued for 24 districts where there will be moderate weather activity expected. The affected districts would be Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida), Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Moradabad, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, and Deoria. Lightning and windstorms with winds blowing at a speed of 30 to 50 kmph, the IMD said.
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104 killed in Uttar Pradesh due to rain
As many as 104 people were killed after powerful thunderstorms, accompanied by lightning and strong winds, swept across Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, causing widespread destruction across several districts, according to an official state damage report. The worst-hit districts included Prayagraj, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Fatehpur, and Mirzapur. Several other districts, including Unnao, Badaun, Bareilly and Pratapgarh, also reported casualties as storms uprooted trees, damaged houses and triggered wall collapses.
Earlier in the day, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath directed state officials to provide immediate relief to people affected by recent storms and lightning strikes in Uttar Pradesh. Following reports of deaths and property damage over the past 24 hours, the Chief Minister ordered the swift release of compensation for victims.
He instructed officials to visit affected areas without delay, assist victims on the ground, and submit situation updates every three hours. District Magistrates were also asked to prioritise relief and rescue operations, while updates related to compensation, rescue efforts and other emergency work were directed to be shared on social media.
According to an official release, reports of loss of life, livestock deaths and crop damage were received from 19 districts, including Barabanki, Bahraich, Kanpur Dehat, Basti, Sambhal, Hardoi and Unnao. The statement added that 130 livestock animals died and 98 houses were damaged in the extreme weather.
CM Yogi also expressed condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, launched two advanced weather forecasting systems developed by the Ministry of Earth Sciences. The new systems aim to provide hyper-local, AI-powered and impact-based weather forecasting services across the country.
(With ANI inputs)
