Most districts of Uttar Pradesh are baking under intense heat right now, with people waiting for some respite. A spell of dust storms and scattered rain in a few districts last Tuesday brought brief relief from the heat, but the hot weather is far from over. The bigger comfort is that the weather office has now indicated the likely date for the monsoon to reach the state.
Yellow Alert for Heat Wave in These 31 Districts
According to the India Meteorological Department, a yellow alert for heat wave conditions has been issued for several districts. The list includes Kheri, Bahraich, Shravasti, Sitapur, Barabanki, Lucknow, Unnao, Raebareli, Fatehpur, Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Mirzapur, Sonbhadra, Chandauli, Varanasi, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Ghazipur, Ballia, Deoria, Mau, Azamgarh, Ayodhya, Ambedkar Nagar, Amethi, Sultanpur, Gonda, Basti, Gorakhpur, Sant Kabir Nagar, Jaunpur and Pratapgarh.
Where the Mercury Stood
On the maximum temperature front, Prayagraj was among the hottest at 42.8 degrees, while Banda touched 43.8 degrees Celsius. Other districts were not far behind. Agra recorded 40.6, Azamgarh 40.4, Bahraich 41.6, Ballia 39.8, Bareilly 39.1, Bijnor-Najibabad 37.5, Bulandshahr 37.8, Chitrakoot 40.1, Etawah 40.0 and Fatehpur 40.0 degrees.
Elsewhere, the reading was 41.3 in Fursatganj, 39.0 in Gautam Buddh Nagar, 39.0 in Ghaziabad, 39.7 in Gorakhpur, 42.2 in Hamirpur, 40.6 in Hardoi, 42.1 in Jhansi, 41.0 in Kanpur Barra, 36.7 in Kushinagar, 41.6 in Lakhimpur Kheri, 38.0 in Mainpuri, 39.9 in Mathura-Vrindavan, 39.3 in Meerut, 40.5 in Moradabad, 36.6 in Muzaffarnagar, 40.0 in Shahjahanpur, 41.2 in Sultanpur and 41.2 degrees Celsius in Varanasi.
How Far the Monsoon Has Reached
Today, 23 June 2026, the southwest monsoon has advanced into the remaining parts of the central Arabian Sea, some more areas of Maharashtra (including Mumbai), the rest of Telangana and Odisha, and some further parts of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar. As of 23 June 2026, the northern limit of the monsoon passes through 20°N/60°E, 20°N/65°E, 20°N/70°E, Dahanu, Wardha, Raipur, Daltonganj, Motihari and 28.3°N/83°E.
Over the next 2 to 3 days, conditions are favourable for the southwest monsoon to push into the north Arabian Sea and some parts of Gujarat, some more areas of Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, and some parts of Madhya Pradesh. In the following 3 to 4 days, it is likely to advance further into the remaining parts of Jharkhand and Bihar, along with some parts of Uttar Pradesh.
Heavy Rain Possible in UP on 29 June
According to the weather department, scattered rainfall is likely in Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad between 23 and 29 June, and in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand between 23 and 28 June. Rain is expected in Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Punjab on 23 to 26 June and 29 June, in western Uttar Pradesh on 23-24 June and 29 June, and in eastern Uttar Pradesh on 23 June and 28-29 June. East and west Rajasthan may see scattered rain between 23 and 29 June. On 29 June, widespread or fairly widespread rain is likely across Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Warning of Thunderstorms and Strong Winds
During 23-24 June, thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds (40 to 50 km/h, gusting up to 60 km/h) are likely at isolated places in Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad, and during 23-25 June in Uttarakhand. Similarly, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Punjab may see thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds (40 to 50 km/h, gusting up to 60 km/h) on 23-26 June and 29 June, and east and west Rajasthan on 23 June. In addition, strong winds (30 to 40 km/h, gusting up to 50 km/h) are expected over east and west Rajasthan during 24-29 June.
