The state of Uttar Pradesh remained rain-starved this winter season. The month of January was rather cruel for the western half of the state, as it was with other plains of north India. Eastern parts were a shade better with some conciliatory showers on a couple of days. Still, the rainfall deficiency was 72% as against a huge 92% over the western parts. The month of February has started with glittering hopes across most parts of the state, diluting misery and despair. Decent showers have been recorded across the length and breadth of the state in the past 24 hours.
Earlier, at the start of the month, light to moderate rainfall was recorded over western parts of Uttar Pradesh. Decent showers on 01ST Feb and light rains on 02nd and 04th Feb broke the jinx of a dry spell. However, the first spell of widespread winter rains has been experienced in the past 24 hours. The rain belt stretched from Agra, Mathura, and Jhansi in the southwest to Bareilly, Aligarh, and Meerut in the northwestern parts of the state. Rains were prevalent over the central parts and eastern borders of the state covering Kanpur, Lucknow, Prayagraj, Hamirpur to Varanasi, Gorakhpur and Ghazipur. The mercury levels dipped to the high teens and low twenties during the day and rose appreciably to the low and mid-teens during the night. Cold wave conditions prevailing in some parts of the state were abated following the easing out of mercury.
For now, the rainfall activity will cease, but sky-obscured conditions will continue for the day. Thick and dense fog is expected tomorrow over most parts of the state in the morning hours. Better weather conditions are likely as the day progresses. Further improvement is likely in the subsequent days. However, the chilly winds are likely to blow down the slopes of the foothills during the week. This will lead to a drop in the morning temperatures. Cold wave conditions may come back in some pockets of the state and foothills of Gangetic plains will be more vulnerable. The next spell of rain can be expected during the latter half of next week.
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