LUCKNOW, July 9 -- Despite the arrival of a delayed monsoon in UP on June 30 - running 12 days behind schedule - the state continues to grapple with a 40% rainfall deficit. According to data released by the IMD, the shortfall is particularly severe in East UP, which faces a 50% deficit while West UP fares better with a 20% shortfall. Lucknow received 18.4 mm rainfall on Wednesday afternoon, recording maximum and minimum temperatures of 33.6 and 27.4 degrees Celsius, respectively. The IMD predicts a generally cloudy sky becoming overcast over the next 24 hours for the state capital, with a few spells of rain or thundershowers. Overall, UP received just 91.8 mm of rainfall since June 1, against a normal expected volume of 132.1 mm. East UP recorded 84 mm against a normal of 169.3 mm, whereas West UP experienced 103 mm against a normal of 128.1 mm. In the last 24 hours, very heavy rainfall (144.4 mm) was recorded at Rajapur (Chitrakoot), followed by Sahaswan (Badaun) 94 mm, Bansi (Siddharthnagar) 72.8 mm, Meerut 71.9 mm, Jansath (Muzaffarnagar) 68.1 mm. Karvi (Chitrakoot) 67 mm and Nagina (Bijnor) 65 mm. On Wednesday, Banda recorded 45.2 mm rainfall, Meerut 44.3 mm, Aligarh 32.4 mm, Hamirpur 24 mm, Hardoi 21 mm, Etawah 20 mm, Bareilly 17.6 mm, Fursatganj 17.3 mm, Agra 17 mm, Moradabad 12.8 mm and Muzaffarnagar 12.2 mm. Twenty-seven districts come under large deficits (60% to 99%). These are: Lucknow (61%), Amethi (73%), Bhadohi (85%), Chandauli (95%), Deoria (88%), GB Nagar (82%), Kanpur Dehat (81%), Shamli (74%), Pilibhit (89%) and others. Looking at Friday, IMD issued an orange alert of high probability of heavy to very heavy rainfall in 19 districts, including Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Agra, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etawah, Moradabad, Rampur, Bareilly, Sambhal, Mahoba, Jhansi and surrounding areas. There is a yellow alert of high probability of heavy rainfall in over 40 districts including Banda, Sonbhadra, Varanasi, Ghazipur, Azamgarh, Ballia, Deoria, Gorakhpur, Sant Kabir Nagar, Basti, Kushinagar, Lakhimpur Kheri, Hardoi, Farrukhabad, Kannauj, Kanpur, Unnao, Ghaziabad, Hapur and others....