The intense spell of rainfall which encompassed Lucknow at the dead of the night on September 11 wreaked havoc on the city residents. The sudden torrential downpour was further accompanied by unusual thunderstorms and deafening lightning strikes, jolting out multiple residents out of their sleep.
Additionally, thunder strikes were recorded in various parts of the city. In an unusual incident, lightning struck one of the elephant statues at Lucknow’s Ambedkar Park, and damaged the head of the statue.
What MeT Lucknow and environment experts have to say about it?
According to the Meteorological dept. officials, lightning occurred at irregular intervals between 7:40 PM on Sunday and 7:10 AM on Monday, accompanied by a significant rainfall of 93.9 mm in the city.
Several experts including scientists, weather experts have indicated that the recent occurrence of unusually intense thunderstorms which were reported in the city is an adverse effect of global warming. The increasing number of hot days in a year, when combined with rain, leads to the occurrence of more intense thunderstorms and lightning of greater intensity. As a result, the unusually intense thunderstorm is being termed as an alarming situation, both for the state and the city.
“Bursts of blinding light, illuminated the night as if it was suddenly daytime for several seconds”
The lightning strikes that occurred between 3:20 AM and 3:30 AM were undeniably the most intense ones. They not only awakened numerous city residents but also left them startled by the deafening bursts of sound that accompanied the strikes.
One resident of the Shakti Nagar area, Yashdeep Bajpai said, “I was jolted awake by a deafening crash, as if a thunderbolt had struck right next to me. The powerful impact was swiftly accompanied by continuous bursts of blinding light, illuminating the night as if it were suddenly daytime, lasting for what felt like several seconds.”
#Lucknow के आसमान में बिजली बीती रात कड़क रही थी।#lucknowrain pic.twitter.com/NpHDsYgJ6J
— DrSandeep Rai (@doctorsandeprai) September 11, 2023
Another resident of Vikas Nagar area, Pawan said, “The intense lightning strike startled both me and my family from our slumber. Our old house, with its an aging structure, amplified the impact of the strike, creating the sensation of a minor earthquake as it rattled the very foundations of our home.”
Severe rainfall reported during past 36 hours in UP, 10 districts grappled by flood
As a result of continuous rainfall over the past 36 hours in multiple regions of Uttar Pradesh, approximately 56,000 inhabitants across ten districts are grappling with the adverse impact of flooding.
In a bid to control the situation and for the relief and recsue of people in the flood-affected regions, State Disaster Response Funds (SDRF) teams have been deployed. Furthermore, several flood shelters have been established for the temporary relocation of the people from these regions.
