The cyclone has taken away all the moisture content in the air while moving towards Odisha and from there to West Bengal. This has resulted in dry weather conditions, causing sudden increase in temperatures in several districts of Andhra Pradesh by at least five degrees Celsius.
Andhra Pradesh may have escaped the fury of Cyclone Fani which wreaked havoc in Odisha on Friday, but it is going to bear the brunt of the aftereffects of the cyclone for at least another three days.
According to meteorological department authorities, the impact of the cyclone will be huge in Andhra Pradesh in terms of sudden shooting up of temperatures and severe heat wave conditions for the next 72 hours, starting Saturday.
“The cyclone has taken away all the moisture content in the air while moving towards Odisha and from there to West Bengal. This has resulted in dry weather conditions, causing sudden increase in temperatures in several districts of Andhra Pradesh by at least five degrees Celsius,” B Raja Rao, senior meteorologist at Hyderabad Meteorological Department, said.
He said East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam, Nellore and parts of Rayalaseema would witness temperatures up to 45 degrees Celsius and even beyond. “Bapatla in Guntur district has witnessed a sudden increase in the temperature by seven degrees Celsius,” he said.
Apart from dry weather and abnormal increase in temperatures, the aftereffects of the cyclone also caused severe heat wave conditions in the coastal districts. “We have sent alerts to all the district administrations about the prevailing climatic conditions so that they can take precautionary measures,” Raja Rao said.
The command and control centre in the Real Time Governance Society (RTGS) located in Andhra Pradesh secretariat at Amaravati has also started sending alerts to the people through mobile text messages and interactive voice response systems (IVRS) about the heat wave conditions prevailing in their respective areas.
It has warned the people from going out in the afternoons without adequate safety measures due to abnormal increase in temperatures and heat waves. “Especially, children and old people should take enough precautions before going out. As far as possible, it is better they stay put in their respective homes,” an official release from RTGS said.
The climatic conditions in Telangana, too, will be harsh in the next 72 hours. “But compared to coastal Andhra, the heat wave conditions are not so intense in Telangana districts. Nevertheless, the people in Telangana too will experience dry weather and increased temperatures,” the Met department official said.
He said it was unlikely that there would be respite for the people of the Telugu states even after 72 hours. “More or less similar conditions will prevail throughout May. However, we will assess the situation every 72 hours and send fresh alerts,” he said.
