LUCKNOW, May 22 -- Barring a few places in Bundelkhand, day temperatures in most of Uttar Pradesh dropped by a few notches on Wednesday. Jhansi, at 46.1 degrees Celsius, was the hottest region in the state. There, the temperature shot 3.3 degrees above normal. Banda was the second hottest region in the state as it sizzled at 45.4 degrees Celsius. "Following strong surface easterlies flowing at the speed of 20-40 kmph or more, temperatures have dropped at most places in UP. It brought the maximum temperatures below normal or appreciably below normal over most places except in the Bundelkhand region where it's still above normal to appreciably above normal, resulting in Jhansi recording 46.1degC and Banda 45.4degC," said Atul Kumar Singh, a senior scientist at the Lucknow Met office. Also, under the influence of prevailing moist easterlies and its expected confluence with moist South Westerlies from the Arabian Sea in the coming days, rainfall activities are likely to pick up from Friday and intensify subsequently. Meanwhile, the state is likely to experience rain/thundershower at isolated places in the next 24 hours. Thunderstorms accompanied with lightning/gusty winds (speed 40-50 kmph) are very likely at such places. A heatwave is very likely at isolated places over the southern part of the state. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to see no major change over the next five days. While the maximum and minimum temperatures in the state capital were 38.1 and 27 degrees, it was the humidity level that rose to 79% that made life difficult for people. The forecast for Lucknow was mainly clear skies giving way to partly cloudy skies with the possibility of occasional rain. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be around 37 and 27 degrees, respectively....