LUCKNOW, Sept. 3 -- The monsoon picked up pace across Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday. Heavy rain pushed the state's seasonal rainfall deficit down to just 2%, while Lucknow received 65.5 mm of rain in 24 hours. UP has recorded 592.4 mm of rainfall since June 1 against the normal 607.5 mm, even as several districts witnessed intense showers and the weather office forecast more heavy rain over the next six days. Lucknow has recorded 589.5 mm of rainfall since June 1 against the long-period average of 532.1 mm, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data. Among the city's observatories, Lucknow Control Room at Aliganj recorded 115.4 mm, Hanuman Setu 106.2 mm, Malihabad 57.5 mm, Bani 50.4 mm, Amausi airport 35.5 mm and Mohanlalganj 28.2 mm. "As there has been a surge in monsoon activity, UP's rain deficit dropped to 2% on Wednesday," said Atul Kumar Singh, senior scientist at the Regional Meteorological Centre, Lucknow. The IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rain at several places in UP over the next six days due to a well-marked low-pressure area and a cyclonic circulation. Isolated very heavy rain is likely in southern districts during the first 72 hours. An orange alert has been issued for Banda, Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur City, Etawah, Auraiya, Jalaun, Hamirpur and Mahoba. A yellow alert for heavy rain covers more than 30 districts, including Chitrakoot, Prayagraj, Fatehpur, Sonbhadra, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Hardoi, Unnao, Raebareli, Agra, Bareilly, Jhansi and Lalitpur. A separate yellow alert for thunderstorms and lightning has been issued for another 30 districts, including Saharanpur, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Mathura, Bijnor, Moradabad and Rampur. UP received 20.6 mm of rain in the 24 hours till 8:30 am on Wednesday, with East UP receiving 30.4 mm and West UP 6.5 mm. Chitrakoot recorded the highest district rainfall at 92.3 mm, followed by Fatehpur at 56.2 mm, Sitapur at 54.5 mm, Banda at 45.5 mm and Sonbhadra at 44.8 mm. Several observatories recorded much heavier rain: Mirzapur CWC received 161 mm, Neemsar in Sitapur 130.6 mm, Mirzapur tehsil 115 mm, Manikpur in Chitrakoot 108 mm and Mahsi in Bahraich 106 mm. Despite the latest spell, UP's seasonal rainfall remains 2% below normal....