LUCKNOW, April 25 -- With Uttar Pradesh firmly in the grip of an early-summer heatwave, three cities -Prayagraj, Banda, and Agra-recorded their hottest April days in four years on Friday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued localised warnings for soaring temperatures across both western and eastern parts of the state. In fact, seven UP cities figured on the list of Indian cities where maximum temperatures exceeded 43 degrees Celsius. These were Prayagraj, Varanasi 44.3, Banda and Hamirpur 44.2, Sultanpur 43.8, Aligarh 43.4 and Fursatganj 43.1 degrees. Prayagraj emerged as the hottest city in the country, recording a blistering maximum temperature of 45.2degC. This edges close to the district's all-time April high of 46.8degC, recorded on April 29, 2022. Banda similarly sizzled at 44.2degC, closely trailing its own April 29, 2022 record of 47.4degC. Agra and Hamirpur both sweltered at 44degC and 44.2degC respectively, marking a four-year high for the Taj city (it was 45.6 degrees on April 28, 2022). Lucknow recorded maximum and minimum temperatures at 42.5 and 22.6 degrees, respectively. In the next 24 hours, temperatures are likely to be around 43 and 26 degrees, respectively. IMD issued a warning that a heatwave is very likely to occur. As a result of a decrease in the speed of strong winds blowing during afternoon hours, coupled with a concurrent rise in maximum temperatures, heatwave conditions were observed on Friday in western UP (specifically in Meerut - 42.3 degrees), Agra, Shahjahanpur (42.1 degrees) and Aligarh (43.4 degrees) as well as in the Purvanchal region, specifically in Hardoi (42.5 degrees), Varanasi and Prayagraj. Heatwave is considered if the maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40degC or more for plains. It is also based on 4.5degC to 6.4degC departure from normal temperature; and severe heatwave when the departure from normal is more than 6.4degC. Heatwave is also declared when the actual maximum temperature exceeds 45degC and severe heatwave when maximum temperature exceeds 47degC, and in these conditions, the departure will not account for. Furthermore, influenced by an anticyclone situated near interior Maharashtra and the influx of warm air into the lower troposphere, a slight rise in temperatures is anticipated over the next 2 to 3 days. Consequently, heatwave conditions are expected to persist across the state until April 27, with the possibility of "warm nights" occurring in isolated pockets of Western UP. Subsequently, under the influence of a Western Disturbance, a spell of scattered rainfall is expected to commence in western UP on April 26; this rainfall activity is projected to move eastward across the state and intensify. In the light of resulting 2 to 4degC drop in temperatures, heatwave conditions are likely to abate after April 27....