LUCKNOW, June 11 -- The meteorological department has issued an orange alert for parts of Uttar Pradesh, as widespread rain and thundershowers expected Thursday and Friday are likely to bring a temperature drop exceeding 5 degrees. The regional meteorological centre in Lucknow forecast a high probability of thunderstorms and squalls, accompanied by lightning and gusty winds reaching speeds of 60-70 km/h, with gusts up to 80 km/h in over 40 districts on Thursday. Areas likely to be affected include Sitapur, Kanpur, Banda, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Jhansi, Lalitpur, Chitrakoot, Fatehpur, Deoria, Gorakhpur, Basti, Kushinagar, Gonda, Balrampur, Bahraich, Shamli, Baghpat, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Aligarh, Mathura,v Hathras, Agra, Rampur and Bareilly. Additionally, thunderstorms and lightning with gusty winds (50-60 km/h, gusting to 70 km/h) are highly likely in more than 25 districts, including Lucknow, Unnao, Barabanki, Raebareli, Amethi, Sultanpur, Ayodhya, Prayagraj, Pratapgarh, Sonbhadra, Mirzapur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Mau, Ballia, Etah, Mainpuri and Budaun. The forecast for the state capital suggests a partly cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain and thundershowers. Lucknow is under a yellow alert for thunderstorms and gusty winds (50-60 km/ h). Temperatures in the city are expected to hover around a maximum of 37degC and a minimum of 27degC. On Wednesday, Lucknow recorded a maximum temperature of 41.4degC and a minimum of 29.4degC....