The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued yellow and orange alerts across Uttar Pradesh for March 30 and 31, warning of thunderstorms, lightning, gusty winds of 30-60 kmph and possible hailstorm activity in several districts.

The Met Department said the ongoing western disturbance will keep rain and thunderstorm activity active till March 31, leading to a drop in maximum temperatures by 3-5°C.

From April 1 onwards, rainfall is expected to ease, with temperatures rising again by 2-4°C.

Largely districts of Western Uttar Pradesh including Saharanpur, Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Meerut, Bijnor, Amroha, Moradabad, Rampur, Bareilly, Sambhal, Badaun, Mathura, Hathras, Agra, Firozabad, Etah and Kasganj.

Forecast: Experts said these districts are likely to witness moderate thunderstorms with strong winds up to 60 kmph, with hail storms possible at isolated places.

A yellow alert has been issued for districts such as Lucknow, Barabanki, Sitapur, Hardoi, Lakhimpur Kheri, Bahraich, Shravasti, Gonda, Balrampur, Shahjahanpur, Pilibhit, Farrukhabad, Kannauj, Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur Nagar, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Mainpuri, Etawah and Auraiya.

Forecast: Light to moderate thunderstorms with lightning and winds of 30-40 kmph are expected.

Meanwhile, officials said crop damage due to unseasonal rainfall has been significantly higher than that caused by hailstorms earlier this month.

As per data till March 28, crops spread over 244.23 hectares in 21 districts were damaged due to hailstorms.

In contrast, excess rainfall affected crops across 4,053.11 hectares in 17 districts.

Officials said the maximum damage occurred during the spell of unseasonal heavy rainfall between March 15 and March 22, raising concerns among farmers as fresh weather activity is forecast over the next two days.

The changing weather is likely to further impact standing crops, particularly wheat, mustard and pulses nearing harvest, with risks of grain loss and quality damage.

Farmers have been advised to complete harvesting of mature crops, avoid irrigation during strong winds and ensure proper storage and drainage to minimise losses.