Red alert issued as heatwave sweeps Uttar Pradesh

The Meteorological Center here has issued a red alert for 10 districts in the state on Friday, May 22, 2026, warning of “severe” to “very severe” heat wave conditions.

The warning has been issued for Banda, Chitrakoot, Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Fatehpur, Pratapgarh, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Bhadohi and Jaunpur districts where severe heatwave conditions are likely during the day.

Orange alert has been issued for 34 districts including Baghpat, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Mathura and Agra.

The weather office has also issued a yellow alert for 17 districts including Deoria, Lakhimpur Kheri, Sitapur, Hardoi, Farrukhabad, Lucknow, Barabanki and Ayodhya.

Maximum temperatures will gradually increase by 2-3 degrees Celsius in eastern Uttar Pradesh in the next 48 hours, while no major change is expected elsewhere during the week, MeT said.

A yellow alert means people should stay updated as heatwave conditions could persist for two days, according to the warning classification issued by the meteorological office.

The orange alert advises residents and officials to remain prepared as severe heatwave conditions could persist for two days, or heatwave conditions of varying intensity could persist for four days or longer.

A red alert calls for urgent action as severe heatwave conditions are likely to last more than two days and pose a serious risk to public health.

An intense heat wave ravaged Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, with Banda recording the highest maximum temperature in the state at 47.6 degrees Celsius.

Prayagraj recorded 46.6 degrees Celsius, followed by Varanasi (BHU) at 45.6 degrees Celsius, Sultanpur and Hamirpur at 45.2 degrees Celsius, Fursatganj at 45.1 degrees Celsius and Jhansi at 44.8 degrees Celsius.

Lucknow recorded maximum temperature of 43.6 degrees Celsius, 3.4 degrees above normal, while the minimum temperature settled at 29 degrees Celsius, 3.5 degrees above normal.

According to the MeT, the city reported a maximum relative humidity of 59 percent and a minimum humidity of 15 percent.

Besides being prepared for fires, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed district administrations, hospitals, power and utilities departments to ensure adequate supply of medicines, beds, IV fluids, drinking water and 24-hour ambulance service, while instructing all departments to remain fully alert and take precautions to prevent heat-related diseases.

The India Meteorological Department attributed the current extreme conditions to the absence of any active weather system, increased radiative heating of clear skies and hot, dry westerly winds.