Light to moderate showers likely in Andhra Pradesh from March 31 to April 4

A vendor seeks shelters under an umbrella to beat the heat in Vijayawada on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: G.N. RAO

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a rain forecast for the State from March 31, due to a weather system developing in the Bay of Bengal.

According to the IMD, light to moderate showers are likely in the State until April 4 due to a trough running from interior Odisha to Comorin area across central Chhattisgarh, interior Maharashtra, interior Karnataka, interior Tamil Nadu at 0.9 km above mean sea level. There is also an upper air cyclonic circulation over central Chhattisgarh and neighbourhood at 1.5 km above mean sea level.

Thunderstorms accompanied with lightning and gusty winds, touching 30 to 40 kmph, are likely at isolated places over North Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam and South Coastal Andhra Pradesh. Thereafter, a slight fall in maximum temperatures is expected across the State.

The A.P. State Disaster Management Authority has issued a ‘severe heatwave’ alert for only one mandal on March 30 and two mandals on March 31. On Saturday, however, ‘severe heatwave’ was observed in 27 mandals, as per the APSDMA.