North Andhra Pradesh receives heavy rains

Visakhapatnam: Several parts of Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts of North Andhra received heavy rains accompanied by gusty surface winds under the impact of the depression over Bay of Bengal. The heavy rains damaged standing paddy crops in Sompeta, Vajrapukotturu, Ichchapuram, Mandasa and some other areas in Srikakulam district.

Sompeta in Srikakulam district received the highest rainfall at 18 cm in the last 24 hours followed by Ichchapuram (17 cms), Mandasa (14 cms), Palasa (11 cms), Kalingapatnam (11 cms), Tekkali (9cms), Pathapa-tnam (7 cms) in Srikakulam district. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned of heavy rainfall in some places in north Andhra region as the depression over west central Bay of Bengal off Andhra Pradesh coast moved north north-eastwards with a speed of 10 kmph in the past six hours and lay centred over west central Bay of Bengal and adjoining north-west Bay of Bengal off north Andhra Pradesh, south Odisha coasts about 110 km east of Visakhapatnam and 185 km south-southwest of Gopalpur.

The system is very likely to move north-eastwards off north Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coast during the next 12 hours maintaining its intensity. Thereafter, it is likely to continue to move north-eastwards and weaken gradually. Famers in the region said that gusty surface winds damaged standing horticulture crops and the damage will increase if the winds continue.