Lucknow, April 20 (IANS): After a week of pleasant weather and an overcast sky, the fury of summer has finally been unleashed in the state with the mercury rising by 12 degrees Celsius over the past two days -- and the regional Met Office on Monday forecast harsher days ahead.

The maximum temperature recorded on Sunday was 39.5 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature was 21.5 degrees Celsius as compared to a maximum of 27.5 degrees Celsius on Friday and minimum temperature of 22.3 degrees, regional meteorological director J.P. Gupta said adding that day temperatures would rise even further.

He also said that the strong, hot and dry afternoon winds that blow during summer would also pick up in the coming days.

Unseasonal rain during March and April brought down temperatures and delayed the onset of summer -- it also caused extensive crop damage. April this year, in fact, turned out to be the wettest April in recorded memory.