Andhra Pradesh gets widespread rain after dry spell; more showers forecast
After a parched start to the southwest monsoon, Andhra Pradesh received heavy rain on Saturday, with more showers and thunderstorms forecast for coastal districts.
Andhra Pradesh received widespread moderate to heavy rainfall on Saturday, ending a dry spell that had persisted through the first three months of the southwest monsoon season. The change followed the formation of a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal.
Prakhar Jain, Managing Director of the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA), said moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorms is likely in parts of Anakapalli, East Godavari, West Godavari, NTR, Krishna, Guntur, Bapatla and Palnadu districts on Sunday.
Residents of Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam woke to thunder as heavy rain lashed both cities. Several low-lying areas of Vijayawada, including the Pandit Nehru Bus Station area, were waterlogged, and traffic snarls were reported at major junctions such as Benz Circle and NTR Circle, where vehicles were stranded for nearly an hour. Visakhapatnam escaped flooding, but drizzle and intermittent moderate spells continued through the day, pulling temperatures down sharply after a prolonged hot and dry stretch.
The India Meteorological Department's 3 p.m. bulletin said the low-pressure area, which had been over Coastal South Odisha and North Coastal Andhra Pradesh, lay over South Chhattisgarh and its neighbourhood at 8.30 a.m. on Saturday. It is expected to move west-northwestwards across South Chhattisgarh and Vidarbha over the next 24 hours. A yellow alert remains in force for Parvathipuram-Manyam and Alluri Sitharama Raju districts, where isolated heavy rainfall is expected on Sunday.
Although several low-pressure systems formed over the Bay of Bengal in July and August, none delivered widespread rain to the State. This time, large parts of North and South Coastal Andhra Pradesh recorded heavy to very heavy rainfall, while Rayalaseema saw little activity.
According to APSDMA data, the heaviest rainfall was concentrated in West Godavari and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema districts, which averaged 46.2 mm and 36.4 mm respectively between 8.30 a.m. on Friday and the same time on Saturday. The mandals that recorded the highest totals in the 24-hour window were Penugonda (108.2 mm), Iragavaram (107 mm), Penumantra (104.6 mm), Achanta (97.6 mm) and Ganapavaram (94.6 mm), all in West Godavari district.
Other notable readings included Kanchili in Srikakulam (73.8 mm), Poduru in West Godavari (65.8 mm), Kaviti in Srikakulam (63.4 mm), Vijayawada Rural (61.4 mm), P. Gannavaram in Konaseema (60 mm), Vijayawada Central (59 mm) and Makkuva in Parvathipuram Manyam (50.6 mm). Many other stations recorded 50 mm or less during the period.
By 5 p.m. on Saturday, Malikipuram in Konaseema district had logged the day's highest rainfall at 79.7 mm, followed by Vijayawada North at 49 mm. Nandamuru in Krishna district recorded 38.5 mm, Koonavaram in Polavaram district 32.5 mm and Polukonda in Krishna district 29.5 mm.