A.P. continues to grapple with intense heat as 95 mandals record above 42°C

Despite a slight drop in temperatures compared to earlier this week, when the mercury levels exceeded 45 degrees Celsius mark in many areas, Andhra Pradesh continues to reel under the intense heat.

According to Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA), 95 of the total 688 mandals in the State recorded temperatures above 42°C on Saturday, with the day’s highest of 45.8°C being recorded at Kanumolu in Krishna district.

Some places which recorded temperatures above 42°C included Makavarapalem in Anakapalli district (45.5°C), Kukkunoor in Eluru, Kunavaram in Polavaram and Srinagar in Palnadu districts (45°C), Torragudipadu in NTR district (44.6°C), Chityala in East Godavari (44.3°C), rural areas in Visakhapatnam district (42.8°C), Ramarajupalem in Alluri Sitharama Raju and Kotananduru in Kakinada district (42.6°C), Nandanamarella in Markapuram district (42.5°C), Kondapi in Prakasam (42.4°C) and Rayapudi in Guntur district (42.3°C).

Several districts in the North Andhra and Rayalaseema regions received light to moderate showers on Saturday. Siddharam Puram in Anantapur district recorded 37.5 mm rainfall between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., according to real-time data available with the Directorate of Economics and Statistics. A few places in Anakapalli, Alluri Sitharama Raju, Visakhapatnam also received very light to light rainfall.

On Sunday, severe heatwave conditions are likely to prevail in 21 mandals, while heatwave conditions may affect 214 mandals, according to the APSDMA.

Meanwhile, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Amaravati, multiple weather systems are brewing, which may influence the weather in the State.

There is a trough from the upper air cyclonic circulation over southwest Bihar to north coastal Andhra Pradesh across Jharkhand, north Chhattisgarh, and interior Odisha at 0.9 km above mean sea level, and there is an upper air cyclonic circulation over the southeast Bay of Bengal. This may bring light showers, accompanied with lightning and thunderstorms, in coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema in the next week.

However, weather experts feel that the thunderstorm and rainfall activity may occur in isolated places, and not be widespread. The rest of the State may continue to record high temperatures for the next three to four days.