Isolated thundershowers, moderate rain likely in Andhra Pradesh till September 2

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Despite frequent overcast conditions and strong wave activity in Visakhapatnam, the city has received only patchy rainfall in recent weeks. | Photo Credit: KR DEEPAK

Andhra Pradesh is likely to witness moderate rain or thundershowers in isolated places in Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, and Rayalaseema until September 2, said a weather bulletin issued by the Cyclone Warning Centre (CWC) in Visakhapatnam on Saturday.

The bulletin informed that a low-pressure area formed over the northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining West Bengal–north Odisha coasts was likely to intensify due to an upper-air cyclonic circulation and move across Odisha over the next 48 hours.

With the core of the system concentrating further north, the weather system is likely to bring light to moderate rain or thundershowers to isolated places, it said.

Isolated areas in North Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam may experience lightning and strong surface winds reaching a speed of 40 to 50 kmph.

Meanwhile, the rainfall across the State remained minimal. Tanuku recorded 3 cm of rain, while Amalapuram registered 1 cm in the 24 hours, ending Saturday morning.

Squally weather with wind speeds of 40 to 50 kmph is expected off the north Andhra coast and Yanam on August 30. Fishermen are advised not to venture into the sea.

High surface currents from 1 to 1.3 m per sec are projected off Krishna district coast (Nachugunta to Pedda Gollapalem) until 4 p.m. on August 30. Port operators and marine traffic have been advised to exercise caution.

“The State (Andhra Pradesh) desperately needs a heavy, sustained downpour to recover from a dismal monsoon season,” an IMD official told The Hindu .

Data available with the Andhra Pradesh Water Resources Information & Management System (APWRIMS) reveal an alarming rain deficit across the State this monsoon season.

The data from June 1 to August 29 suggest that the State has recorded 195.21 mm of rainfall, compared with a normal of 409.1 mm, resulting in an overall cumulative shortfall of 52.28%.

Regional figures also reflect a severe drop in precipitation, with Coastal Andhra Pradesh suffering a 48.49% deficit while Rayalaseema lagging at 51.68% below normal.

The north coastal districts continue to register significant rain deficit, including Visakhapatnam (-57.12%), East Godavari (-57.49%), West Godavari (-56.37%), and Konaseema (-54.10%). The situation is even more critical in interior and southern regions, where Prakasam (-68.66%), Chittoor (-63.98%), and Annamayya (-75.88%) districts have plunged into the ‘scanty’ rainfall category, threatening agrarian activity and water reserves across the State.