South West monsoon has entered eastern districts of Uttar Pradesh including Varanasi and Gorakhpur. It is expected to hit the state capital Lucknow very soon.<br />'' <br />'' The monsoon current gained momentum from the Bay of Bengal and surged ahead and entered eastern Uttar Pradesh.<br />'' <br />'' Ballia received a maximum of 79.2-millimetre rain in the last 24 hours. Ghazipur experienced 54 millimetre, Gorakhpur 17 and Varanasi  4.1 millimetre rain.<br />'' <br />'' Meanwhile, Lucknowites also got relief from the sweltering heat as the city experienced pre-monsoon showers yesterday.<br />'' <br />'' Weatherman's forecast for next 24 hours is likely to rain, thunderstorm at many places over east Uttar Pradesh and at a few places over western parts of the state.<br />''