LUCKNOW, March 15 -- Several UP cities, including Varanasi, Jhansi and Prayagraj have started experiencing heat-wave-like conditions in the first two weeks of March. Varanasi (BHU) observatory station on Saturday recorded the highest temperature in the state at 39.9 degrees Celsius, which is 8.5 degrees above normal. On Wednesday, the mercury rose to 39.3 degrees Celsius in Jhansi.

"On Saturday, Varanasi, Prayagraj (39.6), Churk (Sonbhadra) experienced 39.4 degrees Celsius, Fursatganj (Amethi) recorded 37 degrees and Lucknow (36.9) recorded highest temperature in the first fortnight of March in the recent climatological period i.e. 1991 onwards," said Atul Kumar Singh, senior scientist at Lucknow Met office, the India Meteorological Depa...