UP weather disaster: 117 killed in 48 hours as rain, thunderstorms wreak havoc across state

The scale of devastation has pushed the state administration into emergency mode, with authorities monitoring the fast-changing weather situation round the clock.

₹4 lakh compensation for victims’ families

In response to the tragedy, the Uttar Pradesh government announced an ex gratia payment of ₹4 lakh each for the families of those who lost their lives in the disaster.

Officials said compensation disbursal would be carried out on priority to ensure affected families receive immediate financial support.

19 districts report deaths, house damage and livestock losses

According to officials, casualties, property damage and livestock deaths have been reported from at least 19 districts across the state.

Among the worst-hit areas are Barabanki, Bahraich, Kanpur Dehat, Basti, Sambhal, Hardoi and Unnao.

In Bareilly, a man was thrown 50 feet into the air due to the heavy storm.

Authorities said nearly 130 livestock animals were killed in the storms, adding to the losses suffered by rural families dependent on cattle and farm animals for livelihood.

Nearly 98 houses were also damaged due to heavy rain, strong winds and lightning strikes, leaving many families displaced or in need of urgent shelter assistance.

Relief commissioner says 24x7 monitoring underway

Harikesh Bhaskar said the state’s Integrated Control and Command Centre has remained fully operational for the past 24 hours to coordinate response efforts.

Continuous monitoring of rainfall, local damage reports, rescue needs and emergency deployment is being carried out as weather conditions remain unstable.

Yogi Adityanath orders immediate ground action

Yogi Adityanath directed officials to immediately visit affected districts, assess the damage on the ground and provide prompt relief to victims.

He instructed all District Magistrates to prioritise rescue and rehabilitation measures, speed up compensation processing and submit updates to the state government every three hours.

Officials said field inspections and social media updates are also being used to track real-time developments and identify areas needing urgent intervention.

Centre launches AI-powered weather forecasting systems

Amid the deadly weather crisis, Jitendra Singh launched two advanced forecasting systems developed under the Ministry of Earth Sciences to improve early warning capabilities.

The new systems include the India Meteorological Department’s first Artificial Intelligence-enabled monsoon forecast model and a high-resolution rainfall prediction system designed specifically for Uttar Pradesh.

Officials said the rainfall model can predict precipitation patterns at a 1-kilometre spatial resolution up to 10 days in advance, helping authorities prepare better for localised extreme weather.

Focus on rising extreme weather events

The forecasting systems combine data from automatic rain gauges, weather stations, Doppler radars and satellite rainfall datasets using AI-driven modelling.

Experts say such tools are becoming increasingly important as India witnesses more frequent and intense weather events linked to changing climate patterns.