Heatwave forecast for AP from May 13

Visakhapatnam: The weatherman has forecast heatwave conditions for entire Andhra Pradesh from this weekend. Temperatures would be severe on May 13 and May 14 and continue to rise through the month till a new system is formed over the Bay of Bengal.

“Temperatures have already begun shooting up in coastal Andhra Pradesh with Visakhapatnam registering 34.8 degrees, or two degrees above the maximum temperature,’’ said S Karunasagar of IMD Amaravati.

He said, “If the temperature is above 40 and departure from maximum temperature was above 5 degrees for two continuous days, it would be considered as a heat wave. Cuddapah recorded 40 degree Celsius on Wednesday.”

Compared to the previous two years, the heat conditions this year will prevail for a longer period. “Only a new system in the Bay of Bengal or the arrival of Southwest Monsoons can bring down the temperature,” he said.

Meanwhile, the deep depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards with a speed of 12kmph and lay centered at 11.30am on Wednesday over the same region, about 520km southwest of Port Blair, 1410km south-southwest of Cox’s Bazar (Bangladesh) and 1300km south-southwest of Sittwe (Myanmar).

It was very likely to move north-northwestwards and intensify gradually into a cyclonic storm. “Continuing to move north-northwestwards, it will gradually intensify into a ‘severe cyclonic storm’ by Thursday morning and ‘very severe cyclonic storm’ by mid-night Thursday over the southeast and adjoining central Bay of Bengal.”

Thereafter, it is likely to re-curve gradually, moving north-northeast from the morning on May 12. It is likely to weaken slightly from the evening on May 13 and cross southeast Bangladesh and north Myanmar coasts between Cox’s Bazar (Bangladesh) and Kyaukpyu (Myanmar) by forenoon on  May 14 with a maximum sustained wind speed of 110-120kmph gusting to 130kmph, the weatherman said.