LUCKNOW, March 8 -- Uttar Pradesh is in for a scorching stretch, with temperatures set to rise by 2 to 3degC over the next five days and stay well above normal across most of the state, the meteorological department said on Saturday. With no active weather system expected for at least a week and an anticyclone sitting over West Central India in the middle troposphere, dry conditions will prevail statewide.

"Maximum temperatures in the southern part of Western UP are expected to be 5 to 8degC above normal, while in other parts, they are expected to be 3 to 6degC above normal. Minimum temperatures are also likely to remain 4 to 7degC above normal in most parts," said Atul Kumar Singh, a senior scientist at the Lucknow meteorological office...