Coastal districts struggle with heatwave, thunderstorms bring slight respite

Day temperatures cross 45°C in 13 districts on SundayVisakhapatnam: Oppressive humidity and scorching heat made life difficult in Vizag city, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam, Tuni Kakinada, and other coastal districts in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday with people reporting high levels of discomfort from morning onwards and the temperature varied between 36°C and 46°C Sunday. Vizag city recorded a maximum of 36°C with relative humidity peaking at around 80 per cent on Sunday.Some places in Andhra Pradesh reeled under severe heat wave conditions on Sunday while few districts experienced thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds in the evening hours. The weathermen said hot and humid weather conditions will continue some more days and asked the people to postpone travel as much as possible between 11 am and 4 pm.Narsapur and Bapatla reeled under severe heatwave conditions on Sunday while Machilipatnam and Kakinada reeled under heatwave conditions.As per the IMD Bapatla town and Jangamaheswarapuram in Palnadu district were the hottest places in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday at 46 degrees Celsius each, followed by Amaravati at 44.8°C, 44.6°C each at Machilipatnam and Gannavaram, Narsapur at 44.4°C, Nandigama at 44.1°C, Kavali at 44°C, Ongole at 43.1°C, Kakinada at 43°C, Nellore at 42.6°C and Tirupati at 41.5°C. The remaining locations in coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema regions in the state experienced searing heat on Sunday with the maximum temperature settling between 35°C and 40°C.According to Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA), the state continues to reel heatwave like conditions as the day temperatures went past 45°C in 13 districts on Sunday, with Chityala in East Godavari district recording 48.3 °C, the highest of this summer, followed by 48.1°C each at Tanuku in West Godavari and Piduguralla of Palnadu district .Heat and humidity in Vizag city are unbearable and quite oppressive. Even in the shade and under a tree, it feels like we are suffocating and the sweating doesn’t stop from morning onwards, and there is no relief unless we stay a couple of hours in the air-conditioned room. Many Vizagites have been visiting the city beaches in the evening hours for some cool sea breeze to get relief from the sultry weather conditions, said D Sudhakar and Deepak Kumar, residents of MVP Colony in Vizag city.The IMD forecast that hot, humid and discomfort weather conditions are most likely at isolated places over Nellore, Prakasam, Bapatla, Palnadu, Guntur, NTR, Krishna, Eluru, West Godavari, East Godavari, Konaseema, Kakinada, Anakapalle, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, ASR, Manyam and Srikakulam districts for the next two to three days.Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning are likely at isolated places over some of the coastal as well as Rayalaseema districts in the state. Strong winds with gusty speed reaching 40-50Kmph are likely at isolated places over coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam and Rayalaseema for the next two to three days. The maximum temperatures are likely to decrease over coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam from May 26.