Andhra Pradesh reeled under extreme weather conditions on May 14 (Sunday) as the mercury levels touched the 45 degrees Celsius mark for the first time this summer.
Jangamaheswara Puram in Palnadu district recorded the highest maximum temperature of 45 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Many areas in the coastal and Rayalaseema regions recorded maximum temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius and above. Garikapadu recorded 43.6 degrees Celsius, followed by Bapatla (43° Celsius), Nandigama (42.8° Celsius), Amaravati (42.6° Celsius), Gannavaram-Vijayawada (42.4° Celsius), Nandyal (42° Celsius), Venkatramanna Gudem, West Godavari (41.9° Celsius), Machilipatnam (41.8° Celsius), Ongole (41.8° Celsius), Kalavacharla (41.6° Celsius), Kavali (41.4° Celsius), Tirupati (41.2° Celsius), Anantapur (40.3° Celsius), Kadapa (40.6° Celsius), Kurnool (40.6° Celsius), Darsi (40.8° Celsius), Utkuru (40.6° Celsius) and Nellore (40° Celsius).
According to the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, only 34 mandals in 12 districts experienced heatwave conditions on May 14 (Sunday), contrary to the forecast issued on Saturday that more than 309 mandals were likely to witness heatwave or severe heatwave conditions.
On Monday (May 15), 127 mandals in all the coastal districts and a few districts in Rayalaseema region may experience severe heatwave conditions and 173 mandals across the State are likely to experience heatwave conditions.
On Tuesday (May 16), 92 mandals are likely to experience severe heatwave conditions and 190 mandals are likely to experience heatwave conditions. The APSDMA has warned that the maximum temperatures may rise to 47 ° Celsius in coastal districts on May 15 (Monday).
Meanwhile, many automatic weather stations under the purview of Andhra Pradesh Planning Development Society recorded maximum temperatures of 44 degrees Celsius and above on May 14 (Sunday).
