Isolated heavy rain likely in parts of A.P. amid 79% deficit in October

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Clouds gather over the Bay of Bengal at Rk beach in Visakhapatnam on Friday as the IMD has forecast cloudy skies, isolated rain or thundershowers over the next few days. | Photo Credit: V. RAJU

Rain or thunderstorms are likely at a few places across Andhra Pradesh and Yanam till October 19, bringing some respite to the State which has received about a fifth of its normal rainfall in October.

Between October 1 and 16, Andhra Pradesh received 18.1 mm of rain against a normal of 86.8 mm, a deficit of 79 per cent, according to the Meteorological Centre, Amaravati, of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam are 85 per cent short and Rayalaseema 69 per cent. Kurnool district has received no rain.

The Cyclone Warning Centre (CWC) in Visakhapatnam has warned of heavy rainfall at one or two places over the next 24 hours in Parvathipuram-Manyam, Krishna, Bapatla, Guntur, Palnadu, Prakasam, Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore, Chittoor, Tirupati, Annamayya, YSR Kadapa, Sri Sathya Sai and Anantapur districts.

CWC Head P.L.N. Murthy said an upper-air cyclonic circulation over south coastal Andhra Pradesh and its neighbourhood, which extended to 0.9 km above mean sea level on Thursday, now extends up to 1.5 km, causing rain over the region and Tamil Nadu.

A trough runs from the circulation to the northwest Bay of Bengal, according to the Amaravati centre.

The northeast monsoon has set in over the State. Mr. Murthy said that once it strengthened, moisture-laden winds from the sea would be lifted by the hills around Visakhapatnam, producing rain.

Easterly waves would bring wet spells separated by a day or two of clear skies, he added.

The Amaravati centre has placed all districts under a “watch” for thunderstorms and lightning till Sunday.

Surface winds of 30 to 40 kmph, gusting to 50 kmph, are likely on Friday, rising to 40 to 50 kmph, gusting to 60 kmph, on Saturday and Sunday. No warning has been issued for fishermen.

In the 24 hours ending 8.30 a.m. on Friday, Tirupati airport, Srikalahasti and Merakamudidam in Vizianagaram district recorded 5 cm each, and Arogyavaram recorded the lowest minimum of 22°C. Readings taken later in the day showed 3.8 cm at Narsapur and 2.2 cm at Bapatla. Kurnool was the hottest at 37.2°C, 4.1°C above normal.

The rain is expected to become isolated from October 20. The Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre, New Delhi, does not expect a depression to form over the Bay of Bengal or the Arabian Sea in the next seven days.